


Back in Time

by RudeandGinger11, thnks_fr_th_gospel



Series: The Bad Wolf and The Oncoming Storm [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Wolf, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 12:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1106928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RudeandGinger11/pseuds/RudeandGinger11, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thnks_fr_th_gospel/pseuds/thnks_fr_th_gospel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Tyler has been in the alternate universe for a year. The year passed slowly with each tick of the clock. Tick tock, tick tock. The year was not spent without endless nights of sheding tears, or thinking about the mad man in the blue box. The day at the Darlig Ulv Stranden, or Bad Wolf Bay, is still a chilly, ice cold memory fresh in her mind that keeps slithering its way to the front and center. Rose Tyler had vowed to herself that she would never give up working on a way to get back to the Doctor. Keeping that seemingly impossible promise that only seemed to fuel false hope, she made it. She made a dimension cannon from the Archives at the alternate Torchwood. Using the demension cannon wasn't the only way that had Rose jumping through time and space. A small, yet powerful light surges through her blood, set in motion by the power of the cannon, which has Rose jumping from one universe to the next. Will she meet up with the ragedy man she loves? Or will she really become The Girl That Time Forgot?</p>
<p>(Book one of 'The Bad Wolf and The Oncoming Storm' series.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. He's Worth The Monsters

"Pete is always at Torchwood, and I'm here to look after Tony." Rose's mum, Jackie, complained from the living room.

After Pete assisted Rose, and the Doctor in defeating the Cybermen infiltrating the alternate Torchwood. After it was saved, Pete took charge of Torchwood, turning it for the better after the destruction of the emotionless Cybermen; he's been spending an unusual amount of time there, and it hasn't been rubbing Jackie the right way.

Rose became slightly annoyed with her mother. Whilst she's already been in the alternate universe for a year, she hasn't stopped, not even for a second, thinking about the Doctor. Here, her mother was thinking about how the chips from the little shop on the corner taste funny whenever the blonde bloke is working, or how Pete's mum calls at all the bad times when Tony is trying to sleep. It's beyond Rose how her mother can think of such ordinary things whilst Rose is constantly worrying about the Doctor's mind set without her with him.

Every second that Rose had of spare time, was taking alien parts from the Archives from Torchwood. It took Rose a few long, horrible months, but with her extreme determination, and help from a few people that she met in Torchwood, she made it. She was able to make a dimension cannon, allowing her to reach her universe, and find the Doctor. She could remember her journey back to her universe. It was almost like it was perfectly etched into her mind.

_It was an extremely dodgy process, but as she stepped into the middle of the cannon, she thought back to what Sarah Jane had told her. It was entirely and undeniably true; Rose would risk anything just to be with the Doctor again. Her last thought before being thrown into the universe, where everything started was the Doctor is worth the monsters._

_Rose looked up to see little, pale creatures beaming beamed up into the sky, onto something that Rose hasn't seen fully functional in a really long time: a spaceship. It was a little weird for Rose, seeing the creatures being brought up into the spaceship, rather than being brought down to destroy Earth. This, no matter how odd it seemed for her, brought a smile to her face. If she was seeing the little things going away from Earth, only meant one thing. The Doctor was here. Her heart skipped a beat, and she pushed past some onlookers. She was going to see her Doctor again; after all this time._

_The streets were heavily crowded with people, and Rose had a little difficulty slipping past some of the people without earning a shouted curse, or insult. In the state that Rose was in now, full of pure determination and hope, she could be face-to-face with a Dalek, and not have a care in the world. Nothing, not even a Dalek, would stand between her and this rare chance._

_Rose could no longer manage to squeeze past the people on the side walks, so she opted to stay on the side, looking around frantically. She was sure that she wouldn't look too out of place, while the people around her were looking around for a completely different reason. She could only really see the back of people's heads. She did catch a glimpse of a pinstriped suit and Rose's heart skipped another beat. It was happening. She was finally seeing her Doctor again, after so long._

_She followed behind him and a red-haired lady; a safe distance behind. Rose was excited to finally being able to see her Doctor, but she didn't want to freak him out. In addition, she was a bit curious as to who this red-haired woman was._

_Back an alley sat the TARDIS and a car. Rose stayed behind the corner as the Doctor and the woman talked. It sounded like she would be staying with him and travelling with him. It irked her a little that he was travelling with anybody but her, but she knew that he shouldn't be alone. It wasn't good for him._

_Rose heard the lady's heels pounding on the slippery pavement, gradually getting closer to her hiding spot. Rose quickly left, moving back to where the police had blocked off the road near where the woman had fallen out of the transport beam. Rose stood there, letting her thoughts consume her. She pulled away though, when the familiar voice of the woman called to her._

_“Listen, there's this woman that's gonna come along. A tall, blonde woman called Slyvia." Rose turned to face her, as she spoke in a little rushed tone._

_"Tell her, that bin there." She continued._

_"Right? It'll all make sense: that bin there." With that, she ran off to travel the universe with the man that Rose loved._

_Rose's face and thoughts were hopeless. Her trip here had been useless, but she knew, deep down, that she shouldn't go to him. No matter how much she wanted to run and jump into his arms, she couldn't. Not yet._

Rose was brought out of her thoughts with another compliant from her mum. She sighed and continued walking down the hall towards the kitchen, not realizing she had stopped her advance in the first place.

In mid step, Rose felt a weird shift and felt a breeze against her face. Suddenly, she was no longer in the hallway of her mum's house; she was in an unfamiliar, the lights flickering violently on and off, the room getting darker and darker as the line of lights were going out, one by one, advancing to the very spot that Rose stood, unresponsive and dazed in one spot.


	2. Lurking in The Shadows

The Doctor and Donna stood in a long corridor of bookcases. They were currently on the biggest Library in the universe. The bookcases towered over them, overfilled with books that looked like they were bound to fall down any minute. There were ladders for people to climb to reach a sort of balcony, that stretched all along the bookcases, eventually leading to a bridge that stretched across from bookcase to bookcase. There were rows of lights lining the ceiling, providing the essential light needed to be able to see.

Donna looked at The Doctor in confusion.

"So why did we come here, why did you-"

"Donna!" The Doctor interrupted her.

One row of lights at the other end of the corridor had just spontaneously gone out. Slowly but surely, the other rows of lights started going out as well, and the darkness seemed to move towards the Doctor and Donna.

"What's happening?" Asked Donna, alarmed.

"Run!" Exclaimed the Doctor, and he broke into a run, Donna running behind him.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Called a voice from the dark.

Rose was standing another row of bookcases down from where the Doctor was. Being in the disoriented state she was in was bad enough for her. The lights kept going out, as they darkness crept up on her, and she felt there was a horrible presence travelling with the darkness, inching closer and closer to her.

Rose's voice. The Doctor froze in shock, hearing her voice.

"Rose.." He whispered.

"Hurry up, Space boy!" yelled Donna.

"Donna, can you please give me a moment? Try and stay out of the shadows!" Yelled the Doctor.

His mind was only slightly with Donna, the rest of his mind was focused on Rose.

"Hello?" Called Rose's voice again.

She could hear some shuffling, and muffled voices nearby. The Doctor didn't know how this could be possible, but he had to help her. Whatever was lurking in the shadows, was trouble. So, he took his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket, and held the button down, hoping Rose would follow the noise. Using the sonic screwdriver as a homing beacon for Rose.

When Rose heard the mixture of screeching and humming that she recognized as the sonic screwdriver, her voice croaked when she spoke.

"D-doctor!?" Rose asked, and he heard her pace quicken.

He decided that he couldn't stand still any longer, and started running towards the sound of her voice.

"Rose!" The Doctor yelled.

He had been staying in his spot, feet seemingly rooted to the ground. However, when his lost companion came into his view, it seemed to turn on a switch in his head, and his feet started running towards her on their own accord.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled in desperation, tears welling up.

She was filled with mixed emotions; seeing him again, knowing that he had missed her just as much she missed him, had her filled with joy, but the terrified feeling of the presence chasing them, sent cold shivers down her spine.

At last, Rose reached him. She didn't waste any time before closing the last few inches between them, by throwing her arms around his neck. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist, and held her close for a few seconds, then pulled back, looking at her.

"How? How!?" He asked in a frantic voice, unable to contain his surprise and curiosity.

She shrugged, looking at him with those big brown eyes.

"I don't know! I was at Mum's, I was, and next thing, I was here!" Rose tried to explain, but felt as she didn't do a very good job, as she didn't really understood what happened herself.

"That's.. That's weird, that is." The Doctor said, and he furrowed his brow.

He pushed the mystery of finding out how to the back of his mind. He had not taken his eyes of Rose since the moment he saw her, in fear of her disappearing from his sight.

"I know." She took a deep breath in, and let it out shakily.

"I'm glad I landed where you are.. Where are we exactly? Who's Donna?"

"We're at The Library." The Doctor said.

"The biggest Library in the universe. Donna travels with me; she's my friend."

"Where are all the people? And why are the lights flickering out?" She asked, as another row of lights flickered out at the end of the corridor.

The Doctor quickly moved himself and Rose out of the shadows.

"I don't know where the people have gone. As for the lights.." He looked behind Rose, to make sure she only had one shadow.

She did.

"They're creatures, called the Vashta Nerada. They're kind of like piranhas of the dark. They don't usually exist in swarms, but they do here. The Vashta Nerada have no weaknesses; all you can do is run from them, and stay out of the shadows." Rose swallowed a lump in her throat, and shied into his side, cursing her luck to be joined with him at this moment with these aliens.

"Do you have a plan?" She asked.

"No, I've barely arrived." Said the Doctor.

Another row of lights went out, leaving them with hardly any light left. He looked at Rose.

"Come with me!" The Doctor grasped Rose's hand, and began to run to where he knew Donna was.

After just one step he felt Rose's hand disappear as soon as they started running.


	3. A Lot of Waiting

Rose felt the shift and the breeze again, she no longer felt the Doctor’s hand on hers. She was running still, but it was no longer towards the door at the end of the hallway, but rather the wall at the end of the hallway at her mum’s house. She was no longer with the Doctor; she was back in her universe. Rose just managed to put her arms out and brace herself. She recognized her surroundings and hit her palm against the wall. “No!” she cried, “Not again! This can’t happen!” Rose leaned her forehead against the wall and let the tears fall freely. Once again, after finally reaching her Doctor, she lost him.

 

Jackie appeared in the doorway to Rose’s right. She took in the sight of her daughter’s tears and rushed to her side.

 

“What’s happened, sweetheart?” she asked in a worried tone. She always worried for her daughter. It was more a worrying towards Rose’s mental health, though, rather than towards her physical health.

 

Rose looked up at her mum with eyes filled with sadness and hurt. “I got back to the Doctor!” She said with fervor. “I was here, walking, then I was with him! Now I’m back here again.” Rose said the last line in a defeated tone. She covered her face with her hands, unable to grasp that she lost him once again.

 

Jackie wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulder and brought her closer in a sideways hug. “Oh, Rose.” She said in a sympathetic tone, but nothing else.

 

“I’ve got to get back. I can use the dimension cannon again!” Rose spoke up after a few moments of silence. She was yet again, filled with hope and determination. She’d gotten back before; she could do it again.

 

“Sweetheart, the Doctor said you’d rip a hole in the universe if you did.” Jackie spoke in a soft tone. In all truth, she didn’t want her daughter pursuing the Doctor. She would be happy if she completely forgot the Doctor. Jackie couldn’t deny that he had done her daughter some good, but now all he was doing was causing her heartbreak and he wasn’t even in the same universe as them!

 

“I’ve already been back, mum! I got the dimension cannon to work! That was months ago! If something hasn’t happened already, then maybe the Doctor was wrong for once.” Jackie didn’t say anything else so Rose, exhausted, went up to her room and laid on her bed, letting memories consume her until she eventually drifted off into a well needed sleep.

 

 

Rose awoke in the morning, still feeling as exhausted as she did when her head hit her pillow the night before. The smell of cooking chips drifted into her room causing Rose to look over at the alarm clock resting on her bedside table. The annoyingly bright red numbers read 12:05 p.m.; she had slept for nearly fourteen hours and she was currently smelling her mum cooking chips for lunch. They were presumably for Tony as he had picked up Rose’s taste for the delicious crispiness of chips.

 

Sluggishly, Rose climbed out of bed and shifted her way over to her vanity. She looked at her reflection in the shining glass; looking back at her, she saw a girl with dull brown eyes whose unders carried purplish, black bags, pale skin, and blonde hair that was completely flat, a few strands stuck to the sides of her face where she had laid her head against the pillow.

 

Rose could remember only one time when she had looked this bad. That one other time had something in common with this one. She had looked this way after she had lost the Doctor in Cardiff, and once again, she lost the Doctor when she had just gotten within his grasp. She could swear that she could still feel the Doctor’s hand in hers, but whenever she looked down at her hand she was overwhelmed with sadness and loss; each time she tortured herself, but she couldn’t help but look down where the Doctor’s hand should be.

 

Deciding it was time to clean up, Rose went into the en suite connected to her bedroom. She drew the bath and filled it up with some bubble bath. When Rose was satisfied with the temperature of the water, she climbed in. She had no intention of leaving the comfortable water anytime soon but her little paradise was ruined by pounding on the door. With a croaking voice, Rose answered the pounding. “What?”

 

“Rosie want chips?” A small voice questioned from the other side of the door. Tony was now fifteen months old and developed the liking of doing things for Jackie. In this case, he was fetching Rose for lunch.

 

“Sure, Tony. I’ll be down in minute, yeah?” Rose replied, climbing out of the bath. The difference in temperature from the water to the air hit her hard. She grabbed her bathrobe off the little handle stuck to the bathroom door. Rose slipped the plush, white bathrobe on, instantly feeling the warmth surround her. Gathering up her hair in her hand, she bent over, twisting a towel around the wet locks. She stood up straight once again, putting the towel on top of her head.

 

Rose walked out of the en suite and saw a little Tony standing there, looking up at her with blue eyes, gleaming with enthusiasm. He stood up to about mid-thigh on Rose. His hand was by his mouth, holding a chip that he had been in the process of eating. Rose laughed lightly at Tony and mussed his blonde hair. In response, Tony shot Rose an attempted scary look but all the good it did was made Rose laugh a bit more.

 

“Tony, how ‘bout you go wait outside for me?” Rose put a gentle hand on the back of the little boy’s head as a gesture for him to move. Tony stumbled towards the door, still eating his chip.

 

“Okay!” the little boy giggled and ran out of the room. Rose smiled and got dressed in washed out blue jeans and a hoodie that was a little too big on her. Lately, Rose didn’t mind though. She could easily slip her hands into the confines of the hoodie sleeves and duck her head down into the hood, blocking herself off from everything that was moving on around her.

 

Being the little impatient thing that he was, Tony pounded on the door with his palm. “Rosie!” He had finished his chip and wanted more.

 

“I’m coming, Tony!” Rose took the towel off her head and decided to let her hair air dry. She made her way out of the room, swooping up Tony into her arms. “Let’s go get some chips, yeah?” Rose slapped on a smile and ran down the steps, holding a giggling and squirming Tony.

 

“These are probably cold by now.” Jackie stated as soon as they entered the kitchen. “No complaining to me if they are, you hear?” Rose nodded to her mother in response and set Tony down again. She grabbed him a handful of chips and handed them to the little boy. Tony eagerly snatched them from Rose and began munching on them happily. Rose grabbed herself a plate and filled it with the chips. “Rose I think you know that you should probably get another job. You quit the one at the shop. Why you would even get a job there after the last incident is beyond me. You claim it’s boring and not what you want. I know that the Doctor...”

 

Rose tuned out her mother while she at her chips, just staring at the opposite wall. Jackie thought that she was doing Rose good by giving her the insight from an experienced mind, as she liked to think. However, while Rose added an occasional head nod of noise of recognition, Jackie never even thought that she wasn’t listening.

 

That was how Rose’s life in the alternate universe usually was: boring. No one there truly understood how she felt. After two years of travelling with the Doctor she was still feeling the same way when she was around her family; nothing changed there. Around them she will always feel completely and undeniably misunderstood.

 

 

A week went by of normal life in the alternate universe. The only thing that changed was that Rose had just about given up on getting back to the Doctor. She spent quite a few hours just walking around the house, the yard and the town; waiting and waiting for the moment when she would slip back into the world of the Doctor. Four days of just wandering around, trying to force herself jump again had made her so exhausted that on the sixth day she just laid in bed in a moping state.

 

It was now the seventh day and before Rose had gotten up to get some breakfast she had decided that she would give up. She was even close to telling herself that it was just a dream and she hadn't really seen the Doctor again. It would have been so easy to tell herself that, to ask herself how probable it would be that she would land exactly where the Doctor was. Her best bet would have been working on the Dimension Cannon more until she was sure that it would work every time she wanted to get back to the Doctor.

 

Rose needn't worry about any of that though. When she stepped out of bed, she was suddenly in a hospital with people bustling around with their lives as if it was completely normal. For them, it was; but for Rose, it was completely abnormal.


	4. Across The Galaxy

Rose appeared in a room right in the middle of a crowded room. The floor tiles were white, the walls were white. She advanced forward slowly, taking in her surroundings. In the distance, she saw someone that looked very much like The Doctor. But why would the Doctor be in a hospital? He was wearing a hospital gown, and was peering around suspiciously. She walked over to him, and tapped on his shoulder.

 

“‘Cuse me, sir, have you seen a daft bloke with brown hair in disarray, tall and kind of scrawny and in a pinstriped suit with a brown trench coat?” she asked him, knowing it was probably going to be a moot point looking for the Doctor. As much as he appears in London, the people don’t know who he is.

 

The stranger’s eyes widened as he turned to face the familiar voice. “Rose,” he said in shock. “It’s- how the- what..”

 

“D-Doctor!? Oh, I knew I would find you again!” She attacked him in a hug, incredibly happy to finally find him again after all the days that had past. It was pure luck that she had found him just moments after jumping there which planted a small seed of worry in the back of her mind.

 

The Doctor hugged her back tightly; Rose buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent.

 

“I’ve missed you,” she mumbled into his chest. “Even though it’s only been a few days since I’ve last seen you.”

 

The Doctor looked at her, obviously confused. “R-really? Canary W-Wharf happened quite a while ago..”

 

“I’m not talking ab-” She cut off, realizing what he meant. She hadn’t thought about jumping through the Doctor’s timeline out of order. “Oh, this is a different part in your timeline. I met you, you were traveling with Donna. I guess I went farther back in time this time.”

 

He looked even more confused. “Donna? She comes back? How did you come back?” He seemed to be full of questions.

 

“I don’t know!” exclaimed Rose. She remembered what happened when the Doctor had taken her to see her father. She learned very well that messing with time could have some serious repercussions. “I guess, uh, I don’t want to ruin anything for you. But I’m so glad that I found you.”

 

She hugged him again. “This is the third time that I’ve gotten back. I don’t want to go again. I don’t want to go back to a world where you aren’t. I can’t do it, Doctor.” A few tears had fallen earlier when she found him again, but they were now steadily rolling down her cheeks.

 

The Doctor’s eyes were wet with tears that were starting to form. He didn’t want her to go, either; he had just gotten her back.

 

“I’m not losing you again.” He said, wiping a few of her tears that had fallen. He hated seeing her cry.

 

She held his hand, and looked up at him. “Doctor...I-I lo- “She had gotten cut off after getting pushed to the side. People were screaming, and Rose got pushed around, farther and farther away from The Doctor. She took a step, and she was transported in time again.

 

 

Rose fumbled onto the ground, her hands and knees hitting sharp objects most likely giving her some cuts here and there. Her blonde locks were whipped into her face as a rough, relentless wind hit into her back. At first, there was nothing, and then in a split second there was rain pounding down.

 

Rose shivered as she pushed herself up to her feet. Instantly, she went to wipe her hands off on her jeans but she stopped to look at them. Along her palms were small cuts. Her eyes traveled past her hands and to the ground on which she landed harshly on.

 

Covering the ground were bits and pieces of objects and in between the shards were rocks. A few weed-like plants were blowing violently in the same way that Rose’s hair was. She took off at a sprint. Through the downpour she could vaguely see a building; that building would act as her shelter from the rain, but Rose would much have rather jumped.

 

As soon as Rose was under the protection of the yawning connected to the building she stomped her feet on the mat provided. The door behind her creaked open and she spun on her heels.

 

A lady dressed in a blue pants suit. This made Rose’s heart clench a bit; the pants suit reminded her of the Doctor’s suit he always wore under his famous trench coat. The lady smiled politely at Rose and spoke in a gentle tone, “Welcome to the Tranquil Repose where all your funeral needs are met. How may I be of service? Might I suggest the Suspended Animation pack for your loved one?” She questioned Rose, raising a perfect eyebrow.

 

Rose could only stand there confused and lost. “I’m a bit new here,” Rose admitted. “can you please explain what the Suspended Animation pack is?” She questioned this mainly out of curiosity. When she went new places with the Doctor, she always had wanted to learn as much as possible.

 

“We can answer that with a grand tour.” The lady grinned and backed away from the door. She gestured for Rose to come into the building and led her down a narrow hallway. They came to another double door that was made from steel. Entrance could only be gained by pressing in a code, which the lady did.

 

The doors opened up to an enormous room that was looked like the room in morgues where they keep the dead bodies. An uncomfortable shiver ran down her spine. “A-Are there bodies in all of these?” She asked in a shaky voice.

 

“We keep the bodies of the dead in a suspended animation until the day we find a cure for the cause of their death and we can bring them back to life.” The lady smiled brightly. “They are also used for transportation across time. If you are put into the suspended animation and transported, you will never age.”

 

It took a moment for Rose to let that all sink in. They are keeping the bodies of the dead so that they can bring them back to life in the future? Rose thought, I wonder how much people are in here.

 

“Are you interested?” The lady asked.

 

“No, I think I will pass.” Rose replied in a polite tone. “I think I will just be going. Thank you for the tour.” she backed out of the room and back down the hallway. When she walked out of the building she saw a creature hiding under a rock.

 

The creature would look up from under the rock, lock eyes with Rose and hide its face again. This made Rose laugh a little. This reminded Rose of Tony; Tony would hide his face in his hands and believe that if he couldn’t see Rose, then she couldn’t see him.

 

Rose made a step to see the creature closer when suddenly she was no longer looking at the creature hiding its face under the rock, but a large plant that was moving.

 

Unlike moving because of the wind like the weed-like plants in the planet with Tranquil Repose, this one was moving completely on its own.

 

Something wrapped around Rose’s ankle, pulling her feet out from underneath her. She landed on the ground with a scream before she was dragged some more. Rose twisted a little and looked at whatever was holding her captive. What her eyes met was the large plant. Its mouth was open and Rose suddenly had the inkling that she was going to be its next meal.

 

The root tightened around Rose’s ankle; another root wrapped around her waist. Suddenly, Rose got terrified. She wiggled around and couldn’t get an inch free. “Doctor!” She called out of habit, but she knew he wasn’t coming.

 

Out of the corner of her eye she was something move in the shadows; it sent another chill down her spine.

 

Rose could feel the root constricting around her like it was an anaconda.

 

For a second time, out of the corner of Rose’s eyes she saw something move. The only difference was that it was closer to her that time.

 

An ear-splitting roar came from Rose’s right. The roots of the plant that was attacking her went slack a few notches; it wasn’t enough for Rose to wiggle free, but it was enough that Rose could take a sharp intake of breath, allowing the air to flow freely to her lungs.

 

Rose didn’t have time to gain bearing on her surroundings or what was going on when a huge, brown blur came slashing down onto the roots that were holding her. It took all of Rose’s willpower not to scream bloody murder.

 

Green goo splashed onto Rose’s face and she tried to inch away from the other spray that came seconds later. She was dropped onto the ground harshly and without missing a beat she scrambled to her feet. The plant that was holding her captive drooped down. Rose couldn’t tell if it was dead or bowing its head in submissiveness.

 

Another loud roar interrupted any other thoughts that Rose might have had. She turned herself to face her savior but what she saw only scared the living daylights out of her.

 

Standing even taller than her stood a giant beast. Its body was matted in fur at the shoulders and head where the torso and stomach was covered with red scales. The creature had glowing green eyes that held a murderous gleam. Its mouth resembled a fan with many tentacle-like strands hanging down. It brought up one of its long, furry arms. Rose could see sharp claws at the end of its paw.

 

As the creature swiped down its arm in an attempt to hit Rose, she took off in the opposite direction. She could hear the creature roar behind her then the heavy pounding of large feet on the round.

 

Rose hadn’t noticed it before but the sky above her was orange, drenching the ground below it in an orange-red tint.

 

The creature was getting closer to Rose. It obviously was much faster than her. With everything she had, Rose wished that she was no longer on the planet but somewhere safe. She wanted to be with the Doctor.

 

In the next few steps, Rose was no longer running from the beast but hurtling towards a tall, lanky man wearing a brown pinstripe suit.


	5. No Place Like Home

Ever since Rose disappeared a while back, The Doctor hadn’t stopped trying to figure her out. He didn’t understand how she could disappear in time and space so easily and quickly, sort of like a TARDIS. He wished he could follow her somehow, because he found that being away from her that long was painful.

 

He was sitting on the jump seat in front of the console with his hands folded and his feet resting on the edge of it. When he looked up, he saw Rose appear out of nowhere. She was breathing heavily as if she were out of breath, and she looked very disoriented. The Doctor immediately got up and ran over to her.

 

“Rose! Don’t walk!” exclaimed The Doctor, worried. “The last time you walked, you-you disappeared.” He picked her up gently and set her on the jumpseat.

 

“I-I know..” said Rose. “When I walk, I can jump to another time. Doctor! It’s scary! When I travel with you, I’m not that scared because I know you are always there and going to keep me safe, but I’ve been to many planets on my own and it’s scary.”

 

“I’ll keep you safe this time,” promised The Doctor. “You’re not moving an inch.”

 

“What if I have to use the loo?” asked Rose in a shy voice.

 

“Oh..er..I can..well..set you in front of the..y’know...toilet..walk out, let you do your own thing..and er..come back and get you when you’re done..?” The Doctor said, rather awkwardly. He was scratching the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her.

 

Rose laughed shakily, then turned serious again. “I think I know how I got here. I found out, when I focus on something hard enough, I will end up there or close to there. I thought of home, but I didn’t think of my home in london, or home with Mum and Pete” She said, watching him. “I thought about here, with you, in the TARDIS.”

 

“Oh, Rose..I missed you.” said The Doctor.

 

“I missed you too.” said Rose, smiling softly.

 

The Doctor smiled back at her, then turned serious again. “Do you mind if I do some tests? To try and figure out what’s causing this?” he asked.

 

Rose shook her head. “No, I guess not.” She giggled softly. “Are you going to be my proper Doctor right now?”

 

The Doctor smiled. “I guess so. I’m bringing you to the infirmary.”

He picked her up and brought her to the infirmary. As he was walking, they passed many closed doors, and Rose couldn’t help but wonder what was behind them.

 

“Doctor? Can I ask you a question?” she asked, looking up at him.

 

“You just did.” He said, and grinned. She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, The Doctor said, “Go ahead. Ask.”

 

“What’s behind all the doors?” she asked, looking up at him with big, brown, curious eyes.

 

“All sorts of things.” said The Doctor.

 

“What kinds?” asked Rose.

 

“All kinds. Oh, look, we’re here!” said The Doctor, and he walked into the infirmary, and set Rose down on a bed similar to that of a hospital bed back on earth. After he set her down, he dashed over to a few very complicated looking machines, and ran a series of different tests. He took a sample of her blood to examine, and he also checked her vital signs, just to be safe.

 

Rose watched The Doctor as he did the tests, and winced when he took a blood sample. She hated needles. She watched him as he did the tests, never taking her eyes off him even though she’s the one with the habit of spontaneously disappearing.

 

When he was done with the tests, he went over to a computer screen and examined it carefully. He looked surprised. “Rose, do you remember when you looked into the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the Time Vortex?” he inquired.

 

Rose nodded. “Yeah, I remember what you told me..why?” Her eyebrows knit together in slight confusion.

 

“I thought I absorbed the entire Time Vortex and removed it from you, but apparently some of it still lingers,” said The Doctor. He stood up and started to walk around the room. “Not enough to hurt you, no, but it can’t be removed, either..you’ve become sort of like..like a human TARDIS. You can hop to different planets..times..universes..just by taking a single step forward. Of course, you said you’ve got to concentrate on your destination. But think of it as being a TARDIS, that can go anywhere and doesn’t require a driver, but drives on her own.”

 

There was something else in the results of the tests, too, but he didn’t say anything.

 

“I’m a walking TARDIS?” asked Rose in shock, her eyes widening a little bit. “So I can’t walk anymore, or I will disappear again? Doctor... how am I supposed to stay with you? How am I supposed to stay anywhere?”

 

“Oh, you could walk, but there’s always a chance that you’ll turn up somewhere else..that’s why it’s probably safe for you to rest for awhile.” said The Doctor.

 

Rose nodded. “I guess.” She held her arms out. “To my room, please?”

 

The Doctor nodded and picked her up. He carried her to her room, setting her down on her bed when he got there.

 

“Thank you.” she said, curling up under the covers, not caring that she was still in jeans. “Doctor? Can you lie with me please?”

 

“Sure.” He laid down next to her on top of the covers. She curled up against him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

 

“Don’t leave me.” She whispered.

 

He hesitantly put an arm around her. “I won’t.” He whispered back.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered. She smiled, closed her eyes, and drifted off into a much needed sleep.

 

The Doctor kissed the top of her head, got up, and went through the door that connected their rooms together. He never really knew how it had gotten there. One time, a while ago, when she was traveling with him, he went to bed, and the next morning, it was there.

 

He changed into his pyjamas and laid down on his bed, falling to sleep. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her back. He’d lost lots of friends in the past, but none made him quite as sad as she did. Without her, he felt empty. Now that she was back, he didn’t feel so empty anymore.


	6. No Time For Goodbye

Rose hadn’t slept this soundly in a very long time. For a split second, she didn’t know where she was, but then she remembered what happened yesterday. She smiled to herself. She had her Doctor back.

Wanting to take a bath, she got up, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, completely forgetting about the whole ‘Can’t walk without the risk of jumping’ thing. 

Suddenly, The Doctor opened the door between their rooms, and when he saw her about to get off the bed, he ran over. “Rose, no!” he exclaimed, picking her up. “No walking. Where do you need to go?” He asked. 

“I was going to take a bath.” Rose said, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself. She looked at him. He was still in his pyjamas, which had little planets all over them. She snorted. “Nice jimjams, by the way.” She said.

“Thanks, er..after your bath..I’m sure you don’t want me picking out your clothes.” said The Doctor.

“Go over to my closet,” Rose said. “I can show you what to grab.”

Still carrying her, The Doctor walked over to her closet. Even though he’s known her this long, he still couldn’t believe how many clothes she had. He thought that it must be a human thing.

Rose pointed to the purple top she wore when she went with him to New Earth, a pair of shorts and a pile of bras and underwear. “Those,” she said, blushing slightly. 

The Doctor grabbed what she told him to get, blushing slightly as he picked up a random bra and some underwear. 

“Now, Allons-y! To the bathroom!” said Rose. The Doctor laughed, hearing her say ‘Allons-y’ and carried her to the bathroom.

“Okay, here’s the plan. I’m going to set you down in the bathtub - while you’re still fully clothed, of course - and, er..put all of your clothes and a towel right there on the floor,” he pointed to the floor by the bathtub. “So you will still be able to reach them when you’re done taking your bath. When you’re dry and dressed, call my name, and I’ll come get you.”

Rose nodded. “Thank you. I know this might be really, really, awkward, but I’m glad you’re still willing to do it..keep me here.” She said, knowing that this was indeed very very awkward.

The Doctor smiled slightly. “I’m glad too,” he said. “I’ll be..well, somewhere. Remember, just call my name when you’re decent.”

The Doctor set her down, and left the room, closing the door behind him. After he left, Rose got undressed and took a very long, relaxing, bath. When she was done, she got dressed, being extra careful.

“Doctor!” she called, feeling a little stupid and helpless. 

The Doctor was sitting in his room, tinkering with his sonic screwdriver when he heard his name being called from Rose’s en-suite. He put the sonic screwdriver in his jacket pocket, went to Rose’s en- suite and picked her up. 

“Sorry I’ve got to carry you everywhere.” he said. And he meant it. He knew that not being able to walk around must be pure torture to Rose.

“It’s fine,” said Rose. “I’ll hopefully get used to walking and not jumping randomly.” She laughed softly.

“Maybe.” The Doctor chuckled and carried her to the console room, setting her down on the jumpseat. He leaned back against one of the walls. “So, what would you like to do today?” he asked Rose.

“I don’t know, something that I can do without moving too much.” She pouted playfully. 

“Hmm..” The Doctor tried to think of something, but for once, he was out of ideas. A few minutes passed without either of them saying a word. The silence was comfortable for Rose, but she couldn't stand it any longer.

“I think we should- “ Rose began, jumping off the jumpseat, not thinking at all. She was immediately cut off when she took a small step and disappeared, reappearing on an unfamiliar planet. She stumbled around, tears streaming down her face because she lost him again. She could not believe that she forgot she couldn't walk and she was angry at herself for being so stupid.

“ROSE!” exclaimed The Doctor in despair, looking like he was about to cry. He ran his hands through his hair angrily. “I have to get her back.” he said.

When the Doctor did the tests on Rose and found something different he did not think that it would be at all useful. The Doctor spun around the console room, hitting buttons and flicking switches here and there. He could the information he collected from Rose to track her to the planet in which she appeared at. He ran out the doors of the TARDIS, and ran towards her.

Rose turned to see the TARDIS and her prin striped Doctor running towards her. She didn’t want to move, but she couldn’t just stand there. She started to run towards him, stretching her hand out. She just barely grazed his hand with her fingertips before she disappeared from him once again.


	7. A New Face

Rose stumbled forward and had to steady herself; it was getting old and extremely frustrated. She has been propelled through time countless of of times, always landing in place with the fear of jumping and not knowing where she was going to end up. 

She had been too preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the sad sounding humming and the nudge in her mind. Rose’s senses became alert and she looked around, her heating beating quickly in anticipation only for her stomach to drop when she didn’t recognize anything. 

That was wrong: she did recognize the humming of the TARDIS, only it was saddened than the happy humming she was used to hearing. The inside of the TARDIS looked nothing like the one that she had became so used to seeing. It was metal and modern, and most of all, felt cold and foreign to her. 

When the Doctor had regenerated before her eyes, she hadn’t believed he was the same man. He looked different and he spoke differently, how could it have been the same man? She felt the same way towards the TARDIS until she felt the nudging again. It was gentle and soothing. Rose’s body relaxed and she let out a shaky breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. 

The actions of the Doctor, the selflessness and courage along with his beautiful mind and story was all the same. This TARDIS, the TARDIS, was exactly the same one she could feel in her mind before she got trapped in the alternate universe. She just looked a little different. 

Rose allowed an easy smile to spread across her face. The TARDIS nudged her mind again, a little more urgently this time and hummed sadly again. 

Rose looked up and found the Doctor sitting with his head in his hands. His shoulders sagged like he was defeated. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Rose took a step towards the Doctor. The closer she got, the more she realized that just like the TARDIS, he didn’t look the same. 

“D-Doctor?” Rose whispered, again clearing her throat of the lump that keeps forming from nervousness. She wiped her palms on her pants before making fists, trying to keep her nerves at bay. 

The Doctor looked up. His face looked spent and his hair stood at odd angles like when he runs his hands through his hair a bit too much. “R-Rose?” he questioned as if the image of her standing before him could just be a trick his mind was playing on him. 

Rose could not move. It wasn’t just because if she would, she would most likely jump, but because she was frozen in place. When she first met the Doctor, he had grown on her, becoming her Doctor; the same thing happened when he regenerated. She had known both versions of the Doctor on a level that not many people got to see. However, with this version of him she had no idea who he was. Did he still love bananas and despise pears? Was he still willing to jump into any situation, not knowing what might await him at the end?

“When is this going to stop?” Rose asked in a helpless voice. A small sob escaped between her lips. 

The Doctor pushed himself up and walked over to her. He gave her a saddened look before speaking. “Oh, Rose. I-I don’t know... I wish I did.” 

Rose nodded, unable to do anything else. 

A few minutes of silence fell over them. They both just stood there, looking at each other. Rose was the first to finally speak up. “When? What happened?” she furrowed her eyebrows, her question referring to his regeneration. 

“Not too long after you appeared in the Library. After-” The Doctor stops himself. If what happened with the Daleks and them stealing Earth had happened for her, she wouldn’t be here now. She’d be in the alternate universe with his meta-crisis duplicate. After just losing Amy and Rory, the Doctor needed someone to talk to. Sometimes, even his limits were pushed too far. The Doctor continued on, explaining everything from what happened when the Daleks stole Earth, to whom the Master was and how he came back. He also described some of his journeys with Amy and Rory all up to the point of their deaths. 

When the Doctor finished, he looked even more diminished than before and Rose threw her arms around his neck, hugging her body against his tightly. He hugged her back. “Do a favor for me, Rose?” he whispered into her ear. 

Rose nodded. “Anything.”

“If you see a past me, tell me two words. Nothing else. I trust you know what they are?” The Doctor pulled back and smiled sadly down at her. 

“I will. I promise.” Rose returned his smile with a small one of her own. 

“Good.” he replied, his voice cracking a little. Amy and Rory were fantastic companions but he had lost them, and now, he would be losing Rose again. 

Rose knew what she had to do. She didn’t want to leave the Doctor in this state, but she needed to. She had to get back in alignment with her own timeline. If she could, she could most likely make a difference and stop some of this from happening. It was a selfish decision her part, but Rose reached up and pressed her lips to the Doctor’s for just a second nonetheless; she said one last thing before she took the few steps backwards, willing herself to disappear. “Goodbye, my Doctor.”

 

Rose appeared on a dark street in the middle of the night. She glanced around, trying to find an indication of where she was but she found absolutely nothing. 

She just stood there in the middle of the street for a little before she heard the sound of the sonic screwdriver. Rose spun on her heels and was able to catch a glimpse of light coming from the TARDIS. Vaguely through the darkness, she could see the outline of a version of the Doctor clad in a leather jacket.

Rose smiled and began walking towards him. 

The Doctor heard the footsteps coming closer to where he was, sonicking the lock on a gate. “Who’s there?” he called out to the darkness. 

Rose couldn’t get any words out at first. She kept walking towards him. The air around her shifted and she could barely speak the words ‘Bad Wolf’ before disappearing. 

The Doctor heard the words spoken from the girl that appeared dimly before him. The shadows of the night casted themselves across her face. He blinked and then she was gone. The Doctor shook his head, passing her off to be a complete nutter.


	8. The Darkness is Coming

When Rose had disappeared from The Ninth Doctor, she had reappeared in the Alternate Universe. Every day and every night, she would try and concentrate on where The Doctor or The TARDIS might be, so that maybe she could come back, but every time she tried, she failed miserably. 

She was beginning to grow tired of trying. She had never really believed in fate and destiny, but how many times could the world show her that her and the Doctor shouldn’t be together again? 

Rose was walking on the sidewalk. It was night and the only light provided was that from the moon and the streetlights. She looked up into the sky and at the stars. A shooting star shot across the sky and suddenly she remembered the last time that she had seen something that resembled one. Rose’s hand felt heavy, but when she looked down, her hand was empty and a shiver shot down her spine, chilling her to the bone. 

Her gaze wandered back up to the sky. It looked dimmer than a few seconds ago. Of course, in the big city, she’d never been able to see the stars properly, but the sky was almost as black as a raven, and she didn’t like it one bit. She could have sworn that before she looked away, there were more stars. 

She focused on one of the stars and within a few seconds, it disappeared like a light bulb going out. Rose’s mouth hung open in a small ‘o’ shape. How can the stars just flicker out? She didn’t understand; the only person she knew who would have the answers was The Doctor, and she still hadn’t figured out a way to get back to him.

The longer she stared at the sky the more stars went out, and panic began to rise within her like boiling water. Rose wasn’t the only one that began to notice. When she tore her eyes away from the sky, growing more like a black abyss each second, she saw that a crowd had gathered around her; a sea of people murmuring in hushed tones. 

The crowd around her began to disperse and harsh voices began yelling over the noise, “Get inside!” 

Rose’s head whipped around and she saw a swarm of military uniforms. They didn’t look like the typical outfits that she would have seen in her universe. These men and women wore camouflage coats and pants, with a red cap on their heads. They each carried big guns.

One of them walked over to her. “Ma’am I’m going to have to ask you to get inside.” The woman shifted her gun in her arms. Rose was not influenced by the act of the woman trying to show some authority. 

“The stars are going out,” Rose stated matter-of-factly, “We need The Doctor.” She didn’t expect to get a reaction from the woman by saying “The Doctor” but she had to try. As far as Rose knew, The Doctor did not exist in this universe. 

“A doctor would not be qualified to handle a situation like this. Now, I am going to ask once more. Go inside.” The woman spoke with more authority.

Rose opened her mouth to speak; to point out that she wasn’t asking her to get inside, but telling her to get inside. However, Rose shut her mouth and nodded deftly before walking off. 

As she was leaving the street that all the soldiers occupied, Rose heard the word “UNIT” exchanged between two of them. The way that their heads were bent low suggested to Rose that it was something important. 

She was going to get back to The Doctor; her family and this world depended on it. Rose looked at the road signs, getting her bearings on where she ended up. She discovered that she was only a few blocks away from the Torchwood Institute; only a few blocks away from the Dimension Cannon. 

Filled with hope, Rose ran the rest of the way, running as fast as her feet would allow. She felt a shift in the air and was no longer bathed in darkness, but in light. She looked around wildly, finding herself exactly where she had wanted to be all along: her old universe.

At least, that's what she thought. Something about it felt off. Rose had always had good instincts and this was just another situation where she felt a bit off.

She looked around at the town and people around her. By the way that people were dressed and how their smiles brightened up their entire features, along with the carols playing in the background, Rose knew it was Christmas.

Rose couldn't keep the smile off her face. She took this as a sign; in her attempt to get to The Doctor again, she landed in a time of happiness. To her, there was no better sign that this time would be good.

"Do you see that? Look! It's a giant Christmas star!" A man's voice spoke over the joyous festivities. Rose followed the man's figure to something that looked exactly as he had said: a giant Christmas star.

A queasy feeling took over Rose's stomach. The stories that the future version of her Doctor told her... This was it. The Racnoss ship that tried to invade Earth.

The people around her speculated the ship for a few moments until one spoke up, saying that it was not a star but a web. Rose wanted to comfort them, telling them it would be okay. It took a moment for Rose to process it. The voice; she recognized the voice! The ship began throwing blue volts of energy out of the points in the star shape. The people in the street became a jumbled mess of screams and chaos.

Rose turned around in circles, trying to spot her.

After a few moments, when the crowd had all ran in the opposite direction, she could see a glimpse of red hair running towards the ship as cannons were shot at it.

Rose ran after Donna. She was too far behind.

When she reached Donna she was walking back towards the way Rose was coming, an ambulance had already driven off. Following the ambulance were people in the same outfit as the ones that were clearing the streets back in the alternate universe. They must be UNIT.

A shiver ran down Rose's spine and she felt nausous. There is only one person who would have been on that ship.

"Wh-What happened? What did they find? Sorry, did they find someone?" Rose questioned Donna quickly, not wanting to waste a second in finding out what happened.

"I dunno," Donna replied, looking stunned. "Um, a bloke called the Doctor or something."

"Well where is he?" A small spark of hope lit inside of her.

"They took him away. He's dead."

All hope that Rose just got shattered into a million pieces. Her heart ached and she felt a bit nauseous. The Doctor, dead? That's impossible!

"I'm sorry, did you know him?" Donna gave her a sympathetic look; Rose just ignored her, not wanting to speak in fear that she would begin to cry. "I mean, they didn't say his name. Could be any doctor." Donna added, trying to console the poor girl standing in front of her.

Rose shook her head. "I came so far."

"It could be anyone." Donna tried again.

"I shouldn't even be here, this is wrong. It's wrong. It's so wrong." Rose tried to gain control of her thoughts again. Hearing the news, it made her brain a jumbled mess. Not just her being there was wrong, but how everything played out. Donna was supposed to stop The Doctor from killing the Racnoss. What went wrong?

It was quiet for a little until Rose caught on to a weird sound. It sounded like the pinschers on a bug being snapped together. Her eyes traveled to Donna; she was going to question her on if she could hear the noise as well.

As soon as her eyes landed on her, however, her heart nearly stopped. A bug nearly half the size of Donna's back was hanging off her shoulders. Rose's eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed together as she casually craned her neck for a better look.

"Why d'you keep staring at my back?" Donna inquired rather offensively.

"I'm not." Rose's eyes snapped back to Donna's face as she spoke but they didn't stay there for long. Her eyes wandered down to her back again.

"Yes you are, you keep looking behind me. You're doing it now! What is it, what's there? Has someone put something on my back..." Donna tried to look at her back, taking her eyes off Rose.

Rose took this as her opportunity. She ran off, following one of the soldiers that was the last to linger around the scene.


	9. UNIT

“So let me get this straight,” began The UNIT soldier, Thomas Granger. “The Doctor, the man the paramedics have just pronounced dead, isn’t supposed to be dead? Listen, Missy, I’ve lost people before, and I understand if-”

“No!” Rose interrupted. The soldier was angering her. “I mean, he’s not supposed to be dead! He was supposed to survive, and travel off with that ginger woman you saw standing by the ambulance!”

Rose knew that the soldier was probably incredibly confused, but she couldn’t find a better way to explain to them what was happening at the moment. 

“Miss, I hope you know that you sound like a complete nutter right now. You aren’t even supposed to be here or know about The Doctor.”

“I know, I know. Just let me explain, please? If I’m not supposed to know him, and I do, then how does that make me unreliable?” Rose was getting fed up. 

“Fine. I will get you in contact with the chief.” Thomas stepped off to the side of the room they were standing in and reached for the walkie talkie connected to a strap on his shoulder. His head was bent low at his shoulder and he spoke in a hushed whisper so Rose was unable to hear him.   
Rose was able to convince the woman to help her. With Rose’s knowledge of Dimension Cannons and the TARDIS, she was able to use UNITs technology to make a Cannon that they could control completely. 

“Good luck.” The woman said just as Rose was about to go and have her first, put not last, talk with Donna. 

 

Rose had did it. She had convinced Donna to change the course of time. Of course, it came with a price. She had sat with Donna as she died, reminding her of the time that The Doctor had taken her back to the day that her father had died. Rose gave Donna a message to give to The Doctor; a message that would tell him that she was coming as well as give him a warning that something was coming. 

UNIT’s leader walked over to Rose. “Here, our developers have just finished it.” She handed Rose her phone. UNIT did revisions on the phone, connecting it to the TARDIS somewhat wirelessly so Rose wouldn’t have to go through the actual Dimension Cannon to be able to jump: they could activate it through the phone and transport her anywhere and anytime.

Rose stepped into the Dimension Cannon, a blasting gun in her hand, and with a flash of blue light, she was no longer standing in UNIT Headquarters. She was standing in a back alley. 

“My vision is not impaired!” Rose heard the robotic voice of a Dalek. 

“I warned you, Dad!” cried an unfamiliar voice of a woman. Rose had to save these people, or they were going to get killed. She ran out of the alley to the main street, her gun at the ready.

“Hostility will not be tolerated! Exterminate! Exterminate! Extermin-” The Dalek’s voice quickly ceased as she shot it, blowing off the top part, and all that was left of it was a smouldering wreck.

An old, frail, man looked at her with awed eyes. “Do you want to swap?” He joked.

“You’re Donna Noble’s family, right?” asked Rose, just to make sure. The old man nodded. She felt her previously shattered hope gluing itself back together.

“I’m Rose Tyler,” She introduced herself. “And I need you.”

 

Inside the Noble’s house, the old man who earlier introduced himself as Wilf was talking with Rose. In the kitchen, the woman, who introduced herself as Sylvia, was making tea. 

“Yeah, I’ve tried calling her, but I can’t get through!” said Wilf. “But she’s still with The Doctor, I know that much and the last time she phoned, it- it was from a planet called Midnight, made of diamonds!”

“What the hell are you two on about?” question Sylvia with a bit of attitude. Rose was able to pick up that Sylvia had a lot of negative thoughts towards The Doctor. She felt a pang in her heart. Sylvia’s reactions reminded her much of her own mother. Rose figured that any mother would feel similarly their daughter running off with a strange man in a Police box who claims he can travel through time and space.

“Look, she’s out there, sweetheart,” he said, turning to look at his daughter. “Your daughter. She’s travelling the stars, with that Doctor, she always has been!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” scoffed Sylvia.

“Oh, come on open your eyes! Look at the sky! Look at- Look at the Daleks! You can’t start denying things now!” He shouted. 

“You’re my last hope,” Rose finally spoke up from where she sat at the table, completely defeat. “If we can’t find Donna, then we can’t find The Doctor… Where is he?”

 

Rose was still sitting at the table, all her plans deflated. Wilfred was sitting on the sofa with his daughter, hugging her and trying to calm her crying. The sounds of Daleks can be heard from the street. Rose believed there really was no hope. 

A white noise came from nowhere. It sounded like a radio tuning in. “... can anyone hear me? The Subwave Network is open. You should be able to hear my voice. Is there anyone there…?” a voice spoke and Rose’s eyebrows knitted together. She knew that voice. 

There was a computer sitting on the dresser across the room from where Rose was sitting. There was white static, but slowly, a picture was glitching, staying longer each time it appeared. “... if you can hear me, then please respond. This message is of utmost importance. And we haven’t got much time…”

Rose finally connected the voice with a face. “I know that voice.” She spoke up. Wilf and Sylvia both looked at her. Rose hurried over to the computer just as the face of Harriet Jones came fully to view. The screen was split into four sections. Three were blank. Within a few minutes, another face slowly came up. Jack Harkness. 

Rose suddenly got another burst of hope. She listened to them talk. Rose tried to contribute to the conversation, but it was useless. They couldn’t hear her.

“Have you got a webcam?” Rose turned to face Wilfred who had gotten up and walked over to her along with Sylvia. 

“She wouldn’t let me, she says they’re naughty.” Wilfred replied, gesturing to his daughter.

“I can’t speak to her!” Rose exclaimed. She couldn’t believe this! When one obstacle got cleared up, another came and smacked her in the face like a whip.

Another video joined the call and she recognized Sarah Jane Smith. Wilf, Sylvia and Rose could do no more than look at the screen, unable to communicate. They could hear every word. 

“The fourth contact seems to be having trouble getting through.” Harriet spoke. 

“That’s me! Harriet! That’s me!” Rose kept hitting keys, trying desperately to make contact with them all. 

“I’ll just boost the signal…” Harriet spoke up again, pushing a few keys on her own keyboard. After a moment, a woman with dark skin and dark hair appeared.

Jack laughed with relief. “Martha Jones!” He exclaimed with a grin.

“Who’s she?” Asked Rose, confused. “I want to get through!”

Rose kept listening to their conversation, not missing one word. They began talking about contacting The Doctor. Jack and his friends at Torchwood were going to use the Rift to help power the phone call. Sarah Jane and her son Luke were going to use their computer known as Mr. Smith to have all phones over the world call the number of the TARDIS. 

Rose felt a pang of sadness. With making this call, Harriet would have to make the Subwave visible. She would be giving up her life for everyone. 

“Mr. Smith, make that call!” Sarah Jane exclaimed. 

“Calling the Doctor!” a robotic voice, Mr. Smith, spoke. 

“So am I!” Rose stood up and turned to Wilfred and Sylvia. “Get your phones! Any phone! Dial that number!” 

Rose held her phone up high, closing her eyes. “Find me, Doctor. Find me.” she whispered. 

“Captain, I’m transferring the Subwave Network to Torchwood, you’re in charge now. And tell the Doctor from me. He chose his companions well. It’s been an honor.” Jack made a proper military salute to Harriet, his face grim.

Rose quickly ran back over to the computer just in time to sees a flash coming from the video of Harriet. The screen went black and then straight to static. Rose had to swallow a lump that formed in her throat. 

The image of the Doctor with Donna appeared on the screen. 

“That’s Donna!” Sylvia yelled.

“That’s my girl.” Wilfred spoke with great pride.

Rose felt empty and heartbroken. She could see the Doctor, but he couldn’t see her. Quietly, she spoke under her breath, “Doctor. It’s me. I came back.”

“Sarah Jane! Who's that boy? That must be Torchwood. Aren't they brilliant? Look at you all, you clever people!” rambled the Doctor, looking at the screen in awe. 

“And who’s he?” Donna questioned, pointing to Jack. 

“Captain Jack. Don’t. Just don’t.” The Doctor intervened before anything could start.

“It’s like an outer space Facebook!” 

“... everyone except Rose.” The Doctor spoke with a hint of sadness.

Another signal came through and came on was a beat up looking human Dalek. 

The conversation ended with a “Bye!” from the Doctor and his screen went black. One by one, each screen went out. Rose pushed away from the computer and got out her phone. She was determined, a whole new wave of hope rushing through her. 

“Control? I need another shift! Lock me onto the TARDIS--now!” Rose got her gun ready, hanging up her mobile. Facing Wilfred and Sylvia, she gave them a small smile. “I’m gonna find them. Wish me luck!” 

“Good luck - !” Wilfred speaks but is cut off by a hard flash of white light, vanishing along with Rose. 

Rose is transported to the end of a street. There are abandoned cars everywhere and shrapnel lying on the ground. On the other end of the street is a sight she thought she’d never see again. 

The TARDIS along with The Doctor and Donna.


	10. Time Can Be Rewritten

The Doctor and Donna had just appeared in a street. There were empty cars and houses with broken windows. Limp papers flew around in the wind. The place was completely deserted.

“Like a ghost town..” said Donna, looking around. 

“Sarah Jane said they were taking the people,” Said The Doctor. “What for? Think, Donna, you met Rose in that parallel world, what did she say?”

“Just..The Darkness is coming.” 

“Anything else?” The Doctor inquired, mad with curiosity. He needed to know.

Donna looked away with a thoughtful look on her face. Her eyes shifted to a place somewhere behind The Doctor. She smiled.

“Why don’t you go ask her yourself?” 

The Doctor gave Donna a confused look. What is she going on about? 

She gave a slight nod of her head and The Doctor turned around. There was Rose, at the other end of the street, looking at him with a smile that could outshine the sun. He stared in disbelief, not believing his eyes. Rose began to run towards him, and he started to run towards her.

Rose’s smile disappeared. She remembered what The Doctor’s 11th self told her. “Doctor! Don’t!” she yelled frantically. “You have to stop!” 

“Why!?” The Doctor asked in confusion, still running.

“Trust me!” She yelled. She looked to the alley just in time to see a dalek appear.

“Exterminate!” yelled the Dalek, shooting at The Doctor. 

“Duck!” screamed Rose. The Doctor ducked, dodging the dalek’s beam of electricity, which shot at nothing. Suddenly, Jack appeared and shot the dalek, blasting it to smithereens. Rose ran over to The Doctor, tackling him to the ground.

“Aaah!” exclaimed The Doctor, startled by her sudden tackling. He looked up at her.

Rose giggled slightly and smiled. “Hello, Doctor.”

“Er- Hello, Rose.” said The Doctor, smiling. She could’ve sworn she saw him blush slightly. “Long time no see.”

“You didn’t die this time. We’ve changed time.” said Rose.

“That’s good,” said The Doctor, smiling. He stood up, pulling her with him. Rose held onto his arms, afraid that she was going to disappear again. 

“And you are not leaving me in Bad Wolf Bay again, okay? I will have the TARDIS hide all of the bananas if you do.” Despite the fact that she was being serious, Rose smiled.

Rose changed time, changing all the events that led up to her being dumped off at Bad Wolf Bay for a second time. She wasn’t going to let him make up some lousy excuse. 

“Again? Why would I ever want or need to do that again?” asked The Doctor, confused.

“You did.. you would’ve gotten shot by the dalek, put your regeneration light stuff into your hand in the jar, then Donna would’ve created a Doctor Donna and a Meta Crisis Doctor. Donna would’ve had to forget you and every adventure. You were going to leave me at the beach with your copy.” Rose went off on one of The Doctor’s famous ramblings.

The Doctor was silent, speechless, and wondering why he would ever do anything like that.

“Yeah,” Rose smiled slightly and hugged him. “But we’ve changed it. Now you don’t have to. I’m going to stay with you. Forever. That’s a promise.”

The Doctor hugged her back, smiling. “I’m not losing you again. That’s a promise.”

Rose buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent. She smiled brightly. “Good. Now I think we have planets to save!” She pulled back, grinning with her tongue poking through her teeth.

The Doctor gave her a goofy grin. “Allons-y?”

She took his hand. “Allons-y!” She agreed.


	11. Bad Wolf

It had been at least two weeks since Rose had changed the course of time. At least it felt like two weeks for her. She could never tell time easily while traveling with the Doctor. With popping up out of order in time and the TARDIS’s time, she could never tell. 

Rose was curled up on her bed with a book in her hands. It was her favorite: Sense and Sensibility. She was nearly to the end of the crinkled pages of the book for the umpteenth time when her bedroom door opened unexpectedly. 

In walked the Doctor, in all his messy hair and pinstripe suited glory. Rose looked up at the Doctor with a bright smile. “Hello!” she spoke nonchalantly. Having the Doctor barge into her room without a knock or any warning was an everyday thing for her. When she was away from him, she rather missed it. 

The Doctor sat at the edge of her bed, giving her a grin that resembled her own. “How are you?”

Rose moved over to where the Doctor was, crossing her legs. “I’m good. I haven’t jumped yet.” 

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” said The Doctor, his grin gone and a serious expression on his face. “We need to find a way to make you stop stepping into another time every time you take a step.”

Rose looked at him, her head cocked to the side slightly. “And how do you s’pose we do that?”

“All that I can think of is attempting to remove the remaining traces of the Time Vortex from your head, but that might not work..” he said.

“How’d you do it last time? Couldn’t you just...do it again?” she asked.

“Maybe..” The Doctor trailed off, his brows furrowed in deep thought. 

“You didn’t answer my first question, Doctor.” Rose raised an eyebrow. 

“I just did,” said The Doctor, determined to not tell her how he actually did it. He couldn’t.

“That stays the million dollar question, doesn’t it, Doctor?” Rose sighed, dropping it. She wasn’t going to force him to tell her anything. “Just tell me what to do, and it’ll be done. I don’t want to lose you again; I’m willing to do everything.”

“That’s the thing, Rose,” he said, looking at her. “I don’t know if I can do it again. The last time I did it, you had the entire Time Vortex running through your head, but this time, there’s only traces. I don’t even think there’s enough left.”

“Then there has to be another way,” said Rose. “I can’t keep jumping for the rest of my life.”

The Doctor sighed in frustration. Rose took his hand and smiled softly. “We’ll figure this out, yeah? We are fantastically brilliant.” She pointed out.

He smiled at her. “Rose, do you really want to know how I absorbed the Time Vortex from your head?” He asked. 

Rose was slightly taken off guard. She didn’t think he would try to tell her. “Only if you want to tell; I’m not going to make you.”

The Doctor sat up a little straighter. “Alright, now face me. This might be a bit strange,” He warned.

Rose turned to face him. “I'm a girl who has seen the end of the world, was possessed by a bitchy trampoline and had to endure Slitheen farts, which were vile, by the way. I don't know how much stranger things can get.” She smiled.

The Doctor chuckled. “That’s very true. Now, here we go..” he said. He placed his hands on both sides of her face, closing his eyes. Rose’s eye closed too, and suddenly she saw herself and The Doctor’s ninth incarnation. 

She saw herself standing in front of the TARDIS, which was emanating light as bright as the sun. Her eyes shone with golden light. The Doctor was looking up at her, a terrified look gracing his face. Rose wondered what was wrong with the TARDIS.

“This power’s gonna kill you and it’s my fault,” he said, lowering his head in anguish.

A tear rolled down Rose’s cheek as she said, “I can see everything.” The Doctor raised his head to look up at her. 

“All that is. All that was. All that ever could be.” She said. The Doctor stood up, looking down at her as if he understood.

“That’s what I see. All the time. And doesn’t it drive you mad?” he asked.

Rose looked scared. “My head,” she said, her voice cracking.  
“Come here,” said The Doctor.

“Is killing me..” Rose finished.

The Doctor took her hands. “I think you need a Doctor.” He said. Rose saw her and The Doctor turn to face each other, and he looked down, gazing into her eyes before gently and carefully leaning down to press his lips against hers. 

As he kissed her, Rose saw golden tendrils of light flow out of her eyes and into his. They parted slowly once all the golden light no longer shone from Rose’s eyes, and gazed at each other for a moment before Rose’s eyes fluttered shut, and she fell into his arms, unconscious.

Suddenly, Rose was back in the real world, and The Doctor’s hands were no longer on each side of her face. She opened her eyes quickly, remembering how desperate she was to get back to him. He looked down at her, waiting for a response.


	12. A Spot of Comfort

“That was probably the most cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.” She joked, smiling. 

“It was not!” argued The Doctor. He chuckled, knowing that he was going to lose this argument.

“Yes it was! Admit it!” she sat on him so that he couldn’t move, her legs pinning down his arms by his sides. “I think you need a Doctor. After nine hundred something years, I believe you lost your edge, Doctor.” 

The Doctor grinned cheekily. “Nope!” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Not admitting it! And I know I’m mad, Rose.”

Rose poked his cheek and grinned back at him. “C’mon Doctor! You know I’m right, like always.” 

“Fine, you win.” said the Doctor with a roll of his eyes. Rose rolled off him with a triumphant grin. “Don’t get used to it.” The Doctor mumbled as he sat up. 

“I will.” Rose couldn’t stop grinning. 

“Of course you will.” The Doctor stood up from her bed. 

Rose hopped off the bed and felt the shift. Her bare feet were no longer on the softness of the carpet in her room but on hardwood floor. A bit confused, Rose looked up and found herself in the kitchen. 

Back in her room the Doctor looked around frantically. “Rose!” He lost her, again! He was about to go to the console room and get a lock on her when the TARDIS hummed comfortingly. She showed him an image of Rose in the kitchen and the Doctor let out a sigh of relief. When he got the kitchen he gave Rose a look that consisted of a small grin and a raised eyebrow. 

“You disappeared… into the kitchen? Are you… hungry?”

“I was thinking about getting something to eat, yeah.” Rose spoke rather shyly, but she had no idea why. 

The Doctor still stood there, looking at her for a moment longer, dumbfounded. “At least you didn’t disappear anywhere else. Why don’t you sit down? Tell me what you want to eat.” 

Rose hopped up on the counter and thought for a second. “Chips!” She grinned at him.

“Chips it is!” The Doctor rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a frozen bag of chips. “Do you want them in the oven or fried?” He questioned her, turning on his heels to face her. 

“Fried.” Rose nodded and looked at him. The whole time that he was cooking chips for her, she watched him in slight disbelief. There was only one time that the Doctor did domestics and that was Christmas and the day he finished regenerating. 

“Didn’t think I could cook, did you?” The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her with a proud grin.

“I didn’t think you could. I thought you were anti-domestic.” Rose pointed out, but gave him a congratulating look.

“I eat too, Rose.” 

“Yeah, bananas.” 

“That’s not all I eat!” The Doctor protested, his focus still focused on the frying chips. 

“So I could take away all the bananas and you’d still be good?” This got the Doctor’s attention. He turned his full attention on her. Rose just sat there, smiling sweetly. 

“Ye- No… I wouldn’t.”

“Got ya!” Rose laughed. “Bananas are your life.”

“Bananas are brilliant!” exclaimed the Doctor.

“They are just fruit.” Rose pointed out.

“They are not just fruit!” This launched them into a full on argument.

“Yes they are!” Rose countered, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. 

“Are not!”

“Are t-” Rose cut off, smelling the horrible scent of something burning. “Doctor! The chips!” 

At first, The Doctor looked at her in slight confusion, but then he smelt the horrible scent of burning chips. When both of their gazes flew to the frier, there was a blackish smoke drifting up from it. The Doctor rushed to the fryer, turning it off.

He stood there with a glum expression on his face, looking quite like a kid who dropped his ice cream in the sand.

“I guess I really can’t cook,” He said, sighing.

Rose giggled and smiled. The Doctor tossed the burnt chips in the garbage. Suddenly, he had an idea. He grinned and turned to look at Rose.

“How d’you feel about banana pudding?” he asked. 

Rose gave him an incredulous look, but couldn’t help the smile that tried to push through. “Really?”

“Really!” The Doctor went right ahead and started pulling out the ingredients to make the pudding. 

“Okay, I guess banana pudding sounds good.” Rose sighed, but laughed.

“Yes! Yes it does! Now help me.”

Rose smiled and helped him make the pudding. The whole time she would keep taking some of the excess ingredients and smearing them on his face.

When the pudding was done, the Doctor grinned mischievously and smushed a banana into Rose’s hair earning a squeal from her.

To get back at him, Rose gathered up all the bananas and hid them behind her back. She grinned at the Doctor. 

“Nooo!” The Doctor whined and got all the bags of chips from the fridge, getting revenge on Rose. 

“Not the chips!” she pouted.

“Then give back the bananas.” The Doctor said, standing his ground.

Rose pulled a banana off from the bunch and tossed it at him. The Doctor ducked and gave her a playful glare. “That was rude!” Rose could only stand there, smiling innocently. 

The Doctor opened a bag and threw chips at her. Rose managed to catch one in her mouth, forcing a smile. It tasted rather horrible considering it was still a bit frozen.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her. Rose grinned and sat down. He came up and sat beside her, holding out a hand. “Truce? I won’t hide the chips and you won’t hide the bananas?”

Rose pretended to contemplate this offer for a moment. She stuck out her hand. “Truce.”

“Yay!” he cheered, grinning. “I have my bananas back!”

“Yes, you do,” Rose yawned. “I’m tired, so I’m heading to bed.” She smiled, kissing his cheek. “Night, Doctor.”

The Doctor smiled at her. “Goodnight, Rose.”

Rose went up to her room, changing into her night clothes and climbing underneath the covers. She fell asleep easily.

The Doctor, who was still in the kitchen, went to his room, changing into his night clothes. He laid down on his bed and read a book that he’d read many times. He eventually fell asleep, the book falling flat on his chest.


	13. Getting the Grasp

The Doctor was underneath the TARDIS, tinkering away. Rose sat in the jumpseat. They weren’t talking, but just enjoying each others presence. 

“Doctor? I’m going to the library to practice gaining control since absorbing the rest of the Time Vortex isn’t going to work, yeah?” Rose jumped off the jumpseat and walked to the library, not waiting for the Doctor’s reply. 

She found an empty space throughout the hundreds of bookcases and mentally prepared herself. In the library was where she felt the most calm; it was a place of peacefulness. She was going to try and communicate with the TARDIS, but what was she supposed to do?

_Er, hello, TARDIS. I don’t know if you can hear this, this is just an attempt._ She thought. She imagined all her thoughts flowing into the TARDIS. She didn’t know if it would work, and she felt a little silly trying to talk to a space ship.

The TARDIS hummed in response. Rose thought that it sounded cheerful. She smiled in awe and wonder, and tried again. _How can I control my jumping?_

She heard no response. _Fine,_ she thought. _I’ll just have a go at it myself._ She focused on the pool in the TARDIS. She took a step, feeling the now familiar shift. She reappeared at the pool; she smiled triumphantly. The TARDIS hummed cheerfully, seeming to cheer Rose on.

This time, Rose focused on appearing in the console room. She took a step, but instead of appearing in the console room, she appeared on Earth in the middle of a busy crowd. A few people turned to look at her. 

She gave them an awkward smile, and focused once more on the TARDIS console room. She imagined the Doctor running wildly about the TARDIS, hitting this and pulling that; she pictured each coral column and the metal, cage-like floor. She took a step forward, and disappeared, reappearing exactly where she meant to. She smiled to herself. She was getting the grasp. 

The Doctor looked up. He was wearing his glasses that Rose has suspected for a long time to be fake glasses. “Where’ve you been?” he inquired.

“First, I jumped to the pool. Then, when I tried to come back here, I appeared in a crowd of people. Gotta say, they looked a bit surprised, but then I focused on the console room again, and here I am.” She explained a little proudly.

The Doctor smiled. “Brilliant!”

“Yeah,” said Rose. She sat down on the jump seat. “Whatcha doin’?” She asked him.

“Fixing the stabilizers,” he answered. “They’ve been acting up lately.”

Rose didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but she nodded her head as if she did.  
“So, where would you like to go?” asked The Doctor. 

“Hmm, I don’t know. You choose.” Rose said. 

“Well, I don’t know either. I’ll set the TARDIS controls on random, and let her choose!” he decided.

“Sounds good!” Rose agreed, and smiled. The Doctor grinned and danced around the console, pressing this and that and pulling various levers, finally stopping at the lever that sets the TARDIS into flight, placing a hand on it, ready to pull it down. He looked at Rose, his eyes twinkling. 

“Want to help?” He asked. Rose grinned and went over to him, putting her hand on top of his. “On the count of three, yeah?” She said. “One..” She began.

“Two..Three!” The Doctor pulled down the lever with her. “Hold on tight!” he yelled, grinning like the madman that he was. He held onto one of the coral pillars. Rose held onto a railing, laughing hard.

The turbulence was so intense that when it was over, Rose and The Doctor both fell back on the floor, both laughing hard. Rose rolled around a little, trying to get up, but she just fell back down. 

The Doctor eventually gathered himself, and got up with trouble. He grabbed Rose’s hand, helping her up. Rose pulled on his hand, tugging him towards the door.

“Allons-y!” said The Doctor, and they both stepped out of the doors together, just like they used to.


	14. A Compelling Scent

When they stepped out of the doors, The Doctor looked around at his surroundings. The sky was blue, like earth, but there was a red sun that shone down on everything, tinting it a subtle shade of red. A quick pang of sadness flashed across his hearts; the sight reminded him of Gallifrey. 

He walked forward, Rose still by his side. There were humanoid creatures walking around, some with green skin, and some with yellow, and many of them were pushing trolleys full of various things. The architecture was incredible, with tall clay buildings towering over everything. Where they landed looked like a marketplace for all kinds of things.

Rose thought it was incredible, too. She had never seen anything like it before. She missed the feeling of discovering new things and new places with The Doctor.

“Where are we..?” she asked.

The Doctor was confused, too. “I don’t know. I’ve never been here before.” He grinned. “That’s new. Not knowing. Makes things funner.”

Rose wandered off, looking at everything with great interest. The Doctor sighed, thinking They always wander off. He followed her, checking out the items on display as he walked. Rose went over to The Doctor, and pointed towards a display case full with different trinkets. 

“I’ll be over there, yeah?” She said.

The Doctor nodded. “Alright. Just don’t go too far.”

“I won’t,” Rose said sweetly, and walked off. Suddenly, a salesman approached him.

“Do you want something that will have her never leave your side again?” asked the salesman. The Doctor looked at him questioningly. 

“What?” The Doctor asked, unsure.

“You heard me!” said the salesman. He whipped out a small, pocket-size bottle of cologne. “This will make her never wander off again.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. A mysterious, sketchy, salesman offering him cologne that keeps people from wandering off. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly interested in it. 

“And why should I trust you?” He asked.

“Have I given you a reason not to trust me?” The salesman inquired and mocked the Doctor by raising an eyebrow as well. 

“Er- well- no..” Said The Doctor. 

“Exactly!” said the Salesman, clapping his hands once. “So what do you say? I’ll give it to you for free!”

What harm could it do? The Doctor thought. “I’ll take it.” He said. The salesman handed him the bottle. “Good choice, sir.” He said, and walked away.

The Doctor nodded hesitantly, slipping the bottle into the inside pocket of his coat. Rose came back, holding a bag of trinkets. She had bought quite a few of them with the unlimited credit stick, since Earth currency obviously wouldn’t work here.

“Having fun?” Asked The Doctor, noticing all the trinkets. 

“Definitely!” Rose exclaimed enthusiastically. 

“Find anything at the shops and vendors?” 

“No.” She said sarcastically, looking at all the things in her hands. The Doctor laughed softly. 

“What did you get?” He asked.

“Some things for Mum and Tony, if I ever get to see them again,” She said with a slightly sad look on her face. The Doctor felt terrible. 

“I’ll find a way for you to see them again.” He promised. 

“I would jump, but I don’t want to rip a hole in the universe and have a repeat of you-know-what.” Rose said.

The Doctor nodded in understanding. He didn’t want anything like that to happen again, either. “I’ll think of something.” 

“Let’s get back to the TARDIS, yeah?” she asked. 

“Yeah.” The Doctor agreed, taking her hand. He walked back to The TARDIS with her, still thinking about the strange cologne that the salesman had given him.

“I’m going to go read a book,” said Rose when they got back inside The TARDIS. She smiled and walked to the library. She sat down in one of the arm chairs, throwing her legs over the armrest. When she was situated she picked up a random book, and began reading.

The Doctor nodded, and went to his room. He did a few tests on the cologne, but he couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it; it seemed to be normal cologne. He shrugged and went to his en suite, setting the cologne on the vanity. 

He took a quick shower, and when he got out, he got dressed in his usual pinstripe suit. He stared at the cologne for a moment before putting it on. He thought it smelled okay, and he still didn’t see how this was going to keep Rose from wandering off. He shrugged, and made his way to the library.

“Hello, Rose!” he greeted her. 

“Hey!” Rose said, glancing up at the Doctor with a bright smile. Suddenly, she got a whiff of something that smelled very nice. She got up, and went over to The Doctor. She sniffed slightly, and the scent became much stronger. Without warning, she grabbed the lapels of his suit, and kissed him. He was very taken off guard. This reminded him of the time when Rose was possessed by Cassandra. When Cassandra had found him, she did the same exact thing. 

Rose knew that this shouldn’t be happening, but she couldn’t control her actions. She pushed her body against his slightly. She felt everything, her mind was working and her thoughts were her own. She didn’t understand what was going on, but she really couldn’t protest either. She had always wanted to do this, but she never wanted anything to change between them. 

The Doctor ended up kissing back a little bit, and they wrapped their arms around each other, but after a few moments, he pulled back slightly, a bit flustered. “Rose..” he murmured in slight warning. 

“What, Doctor?” asked Rose innocently. She kept herself close to him. He resisted the urge to kiss her again and finish what was started, but he knew that this wasn’t her, this was the cologne. 

“This..I..” He stuttered, not able to find the right words.

“You what?” Rose pouted and looked up at him, blinking innocently. 

“I- er- I’m tired and I’m..uh..sleep. Yeah.” He said, pulling on his ear. Rose continued to pout. 

“I know something else we can do instead of sleeping.” she said. She had no control of what she was saying. As soon as the words left her mouth unintentionally, she wanted to go hide in a corner and cry. 

He had to get out of here, before he did something he would regret. “I...er...no..too tired..” He said, forcing a yawn.

“You’re no fun.” said Rose. The Doctor didn’t protest this time; instead he went back to his room without a word.


	15. Kiss and Make Up

A few seconds after The Doctor left, Rose regained full control over her actions. Right after the smell of the cologne dispersed it was almost as if her mind went completely blank. She almost couldn’t recall everything that happened. She shook her head, dazed and confused she went to her room and decided she needed some good sleep as well. 

She shook her head, and decided to take a bath to clear her mind. When she was out of the bath and fully dressed, she decided to go and get something to eat, but her bedroom door is gone, and she hits the wall where the door used to be. 

“What the hell?” she muttered.

Rose looked over to see that the door connecting The Doctor’s room and hers was still there. She went over to it and was about to lay her hand on the knob when there was a sudden knock on the door. It made her jump back a bit in surprise. There could have only be one person on the other side of the door and he never knocked. Rose opened the door slowly and looked up at the Doctor. 

"Is your bedroom door gone, too?" He asked.

Rose nodded, “Yeah. It is.”

There was an awkward silence that fell upon both of them. It was the very first time it had been awkward for them and Rose didn’t like it one bit.

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows in concentration and after a few seconds, his eyes popped open in realization. “I think the TARDIS wants us to talk…”

It wasn’t the highlight of Rose’s day. Well, not entirely. If she was going to kiss the Doctor, she would have rathered it be fully her doing it. 

“Why? What is there to talk about?” She asked as obviously as she could; she had decided she would just pretend it didn’t happen. 

The Doctor on the other hand, had a different way of approaching it. “Do I have to say it?” He asked, not even bothering with pretending it didn’t happen. 

Rose didn’t speak. She walked over to her bed and sat down, cross legged. The Doctor leaned on the door frame, not daring to enter. He wanted to give her the space. “I’m sorry, Rose. I didn’t intend for this to happen.” The Doctor kept talking. 

“Neither did I…” Rose pointed out. If she had stayed quiet any longer the Doctor would have undoubtedly ran into one of his rambles. 

“A salesman on that strange planet lured me into taking this strange cologne.. I didn't know it would do that, he said it would keep you from wandering off..I didn't know he meant it in that way…” As the Doctor talked, Rose noticed that he looked everywhere but at her and that slightly stung. 

However, she chose to ignore it. “A strange man offers you a cologne that is said to get people to not wander off, and you decided 'oh. It's not going to be anything’?” she raised her eyebrows at him and laughed. “Well, Doctor. I knew you lost your edge but I didn’t think you were that desperate.” Rose teased him playfully in an attempt to break this awkward phase between them.

“I have not- I am not desperate!” The Doctor protested, a blush rising to his cheeks. 

Rose laughed softly at his reaction and nodded.

“I just wanted to see what the man meant.” He tried to defend himself. 

“It got us locked in our rooms, it did.”

The Doctor scratched at the back of his neck. “Yeeeeeah.” he dragged the word out. 

Rose lied down and hugged a throw pillow close to her. “I guess we just wait for her to put the doors back.”

“Guess so.” The Doctor rocked on his heels. His hands were shoved into his pockets. He would normally have went and sat beside her on the bed while he talked to her, but what happened between them didn’t make the situation they were in no where near normal.

Rose propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at him with a frown. It still hurt a bit seeing the Doctor being so distant.

The Doctor glanced at her for the first time in a while, feeling her frown towards him. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you going to act like I have a highly contagious, deadly disease from now on, or something?” 

“Sorry… I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” The Doctor looked down at his converse. 

“I think I was the one making you uncomfortable, Doctor.”

“You’re probably right.” He said as he walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

“I’m sorry though. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Rose sat up and faced him.

“It’s okay.” The Doctor was being unusually quiet.

Rose gave him a quick, one-armed hug. “What does she want us to do?”

“I’m not exactly sure.” he tried to reach out to the TARDIS and tried to get her to tell him what he needed to do but she was one stubborn thing.

Rose tried to think. Whenever she’d get in fights with her family or friends, her mother would always tell them to kiss and makeup whenever she got fed up of the complaints and insults being thrown every which way. She gave a quick, hard laugh. 

“What are you laughing about?”

“She locked us in here to do what? Kiss and makeup…”

“Well… we made up.”

Rose looked at him, very seriously. “We haven’t kissed.”

The Doctor realized that his assumptions were right. If the TARDIS just had the intention of forcing them to makeup, the doors would have been put back awhile ago. 

“No, we haven’t.” he spoke in a quiet voice and leaned over, kissing Rose on the cheek; he hoped it would be enough to satisfy the TARDIS.

In response to the pathetic excuse of a kiss, the TARDIS flickered the lights in the room violently; the door never appeared back into place.

She decided to take the initiative and get this over with. Quickly, she leaned in and pecked him on the lips. Not wasting a second, she pulled back. She felt a small nudge in the back of her mind as if the TARDIS was accepting that as a kiss, but wasn’t truly satisfied.

The Doctor and Rose sat there in silence. Both doors were back in place, but no one had anything to say. 

Suddenly, the Doctor laughed. 

“What are you laughing for?” Rose quizzed, arching an eyebrow in curiosity and wonder. 

“The TARDIS has never done this before.”

“Have you ever fought with any of your other companions?” 

“Loads of times.” The Doctor nodded. 

“And she’s never locked you in a room with them?” Rose tilted her head to the side a little. “What about us drifting apart makes it so important for her to try and make us makeup?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I don’t know.” Something about how he spoke and his body language told Rose that he wasn’t exactly telling the truth. “To the console room?” he grinned, standing up; he held out his hand to her.

Rose couldn’t help but smile. She took his hand and stood up. “To the console room!”


	16. Bad Dreams

A few days had passed since the cologne incident, and Rose felt that she and The Doctor were back to normal again, although she still felt that there was something he wasn’t telling her. 

She was laying in bed, sleeping soundly. In his room, The Doctor was laying in his bed, reading a book he’d read countless times. He couldn’t remember what it was called or who it was written by, due to the tattered, torn cover. 

He flipped a page. He loved this book. It was about stars, even though he already knew almost everything about the stars. Rose had gotten him this book for Christmas a long time ago. He smiled to himself, remembering that Rose was here.

Around midnight, Rose began to break out in a cold sweat. Sh began to thrash violently, and eventually began to shout. Hearing the shouting, The Doctor dropped his book and rushed to Rose’s room. 

He went over to her bed, and shook her shoulders. “Rose!” He exclaimed, extremely worried. She woke up with a start and clutched The Doctor’s arm desperately. 

He looked at her, still very concerned. “What happened?” 

Rose was breathing heavily, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I-I..Cardiff..The Void..” She stuttered, letting out a choked sob. The Doctor remembered what happened, and his facial expression saddened.

“I- Oh-oh, Rose..” He couldn’t find the right words. He lied down next to her and held her close. She cuddled up into his side, laying her head on his shoulder. For a few moments, neither of them said a single thing, until Rose finally spoke up.

“Doctor? Can- can I ask you something?” Rose was hesitant. She was going to finally ask him what she had imagined thousands of endings to. 

“Of course,” said The Doctor. He rubbed small circles on her back, trying to comfort her. 

Rose sat up and cleared her throat but even then she couldn’t bring the words to her lips. She gained control and looked him in the eye.

“What..what were you going to say? Before you ran… out of time… at Bad Wolf Bay?” she used a quiet voice, afraid to ask. 

The Doctor was silent for a moment before he looked her in the eye and finally said, “Rose Tyler, I love you.”

Tears began rapidly rolling down her cheeks, and she buried her face in his chest. “I love you too,” she whispered in the quietest voice.

The Doctor’s eyes, too, were filled with tears, and a few escaped. He held Rose close to him, not ever wanting to let her go. Rose eventually cried herself to sleep, clutching onto him, not daring to let go. 

When Rose awoke in the morning she found the Doctor still at her side. His eyes were closed; he looked so peaceful when he was asleep. That brought a smile to her face; he hardly ever stayed past Rose falling asleep.

Rose decided to make the Doctor breakfast in bed. She got up, pictured the kitchen and their little playful disagreements they’ve had and took a step. She landed herself in the kitchen and began making some pancakes. 

As she was cooking she had a small radio on the counter playing music. Her favorite song came on and Rose began dancing. Right as she took her first step, she disappeared from the kitchen.


	17. The Ticking of The Clock

Rose landed on an unfamiliar planet. Of course, she wasn’t able to say every single planet or star out in the multiverse, as the Doctor called it, but with all the traveling done with the Doctor and with the help of Rose’s own research she was able to point out a few things here and there. 

There wasn’t anything around. Everywhere that Rose looked seemed to only bring gravel.

The only indication that there was life on the planet was the incessant ticking noise that Rose started to hear. 

It was only a few moments after it started that she matched the noise with the creature.

Her mind filled with images: her looking over at Mickey as the droids moved in closer with their instruments, the Doctor stumbling into the room in a drunken stupor, the Doctor flying through the mirror with the knowledge that he may never have a way to get back. 

Rose clenched her fists and turned on her heels to face the Clockwork Droids that were inching their way towards her. 

When Rose when to run away she found that there were Clockwork Droids on every side of her, coming closer and closer. 

There was enough space for Rose to still take a few steps. She started deliberately stepping around the small area she had left without getting too close to the Clockwork Droids. But each step and thought of the TARDIS only led to a failed attempt.

Back on the TARDIS the Doctor awoke to her nudging him urgently in his mind. The Doctor yawned and sat up groggily. "What is it, sexy?" he asked, becoming more attentive each second. 

Something felt off to him. It wasn't just the abnormal behavior coming from the TARDIS but something else. More seriously, he asked her again. "What's wrong?" 

The TARDIS told him Rose had disappeared and that it wasn't something her wanted to do. This had the Doctor jumping out of bed. He didn't bother changing out of his striped pajamas. 

He locked onto Rose, using the samples that he had taken from her back when she couldn't control her jumping as well as she could then. 

His movements around the TARDIS were hurried and urgent. There was nothing that would keep him from finding her.

The Clockwork Droids kept getting closer to Rose. She closed her eyes, accepting the fact that she may very well die today. But when she closed her eyes all she could see was the Doctor stumbling into the room, drunk, and him risking everything to jump through the mirror. Anger began to bubble up inside her. She clenched her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms but she ignored the pain. That day was the only day that she could recall that she hated the Doctor and his decisions. 

A familiar noise, a mixture of wheezing with a car motor, overshadowed the ticking of the Clockwork Droids. Slowly, the Clockwork Droids disappeared and the grated flooring and coral stocks making up the console room of the TARDIS appeared around her. 

Rose looked around frantically. The Doctor had found her. Once again, he had saved her. 

"Rose, it's okay. You're safe now." The Doctor flew the TARDIS way out into space, far from anything that could harm either of them. He had the TARDIS suspended in the middle of space, orbiting idolly. "Are you okay?" He asked Rose, walking over to her to check her over for any harm done.

Rose took a deep breath, relieved, and ran to the Doctor, meeting him halfway. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug before pulling away and slapping him in the arm. She wanted to slap him across the face, her anger just boiling up again, but she was able to control the urge and settled for his arm.

The Doctor rubbed his arm where she hit him. "Ow! What was that for?" He looked confused.

"For leaving Mickey and I on a spaceship with Clockwork Droids about to cut our heads open!" When she began talking, tears fell freely and uncontrollably down her face. "While you were partying with Madam de Pompadour." Rose said her name with an edge of hatred, "getting drunk and doing God knows what!

"She sure did have a thing for you. You were going to bring her along with us! She would have been glad to be your mistress!" Normally Rose would not voice her feelings on this matter. She kept them locked up for so long, but seeing the Clockwork Droids and being alone once again, she was launched into an emotional state and could not pull herself out. "I'm sure you would have liked that too, huh? Your very own french mistress. Not just anyone, but someone who excels at everything! You jumped in, knowing that there was a very large possibility that you were going to be stuck there forever! You left Mickey and I own our own on a spaceship made with human parts!" 

With every word that left Rose's mouth her anger slowly deflated. 

The Doctor didn't say anything; he couldn't. 

Rose misinterpreted the silence and agreement which fueled more tears. "See... I-It's t-true." Her voice broke. She tried to hold them in, taking deep, ragged breaths but it just made her body shake. 

"It's... I was just trying to help." The Doctor spoke in a quiet voice. He felt terrible but didn't know how to comfort her.

Rose knew that. She knew he just wanted to help, but at what cost? He jumped in to save Reinette, playing the part of the knight in shining armor, and left her and Mickey behind. It hurt, seeing the Doctor pick someone else over her, especially someone who he had known for less than a day. 

It was all in the past, though. She couldn't keep reliving the past; it was useless. 

Sighing, all her anger gone, Rose nodded. "I know... I'm sorry. It's just... I'm sorry." Rose didn’t know how to explain her anger. She didn't think he would exactly get it. "They were after me again just know, and you weren't there and it just... Resurfaced feelings." She explained as best she could, leaving a few of her thoughts out, and gave up. She lied her forehead on his shoulder.

"It's okay... You're safe now. They're not coming after you."

Rose was quiet for a while, judging standing there. "You're worth the monsters." she mumbles under her breath. 

"You're worth the running." 

Upon hearing the Doctor, Rose looked up at him and gave him a small smile which he returned. 

Rose walked away from him and over to the console. She ran her fingertips over some of the levers and screens. "Where should we go? Barcelona, maybe? Or New Earth? Not when Cassandra was there, of course."

The Doctor smiled. " I say we go to New Earth about... hmm, a thousand years after that incident? Just to be safe?"

"We can lay out on the grass again, yeah?" Rose questioned.

"Yeah."

Rose sat on the jumpseat with a grin. "C'mon then, fly your TARDIS." 

The Doctor grinned, pulled a few levers and pressed a few buttons, and flew the TARDIS to New Earth.


	18. A Shade of Pink

When they arrived, Rose hurried outside and looked at the sky. She smiled. Blue, just as she remembered it. She heard The Doctor walk up next to her, his coattails fluttering in the gentle breeze. She held onto his arm, and he smiled down at her. 

“Where to, Doctor?” She asked, brushing her hair out of her face. 

“I was just going to ask you that,” Said The Doctor, rocking on his heels. “You decide.”

Rose thought for a moment before deciding that they would go shopping. She pulled him along, bringing him into a shop. They window-shopped for a bit until Rose spotted a sweets stand with tons of cakes, muffins and cookies dedicated to bananas. “Doctor!” called Rose, knowing that he would love this.

The Doctor followed the sound of Rose’s voice. “Wha-” he began, thinking she was going to show him some type of clothing item, but he practically melted when he saw the banana sweets stand. Rose laughed at his reaction, and picked up a banana muffin, handing it to him.

The Doctor ate the banana muffin, enjoying every bite. Rose smiled, and tried one of the muffins herself. “These are amazing,” she said, closing her eyes.

“See! I told you bananas are amazing!” said the Doctor, a grin playing on his lips.

“It’s only because they are mixed in sweets!” argued Rose. 

“No, it’s because bananas are amazing.”

“No, it’s because sweets are always good!”

“No, it’s because they’re banana flavoured.” The Doctor was very determined to prove her wrong. 

“Nuuu!” sneered Rose. She ate another sweet that wasn’t banana flavored. “Mmm,” she said. “Even better than the first one.”

“Bananas are still excellent.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Whatever,” she retorted.

“You know I’m right.” He grinned.

Rose rolled her eyes playfully and walked to another shopping area. The Doctor followed her, looking at this and that along the way. 

She picked up a few trinkets, showing them to him enthusiastically. She asked him what some of the unfamiliar things were. She looked at him rather than the object as he explained to her what the object was; she was really just asking to hear him explain because of the way he sometimes gets and sometimes babbles.

The Doctor suddenly picked up a trinket with a twinkle in his eye; he began to explain it, babbling on about it and things related to it. Rose listened to him as he explained, holding onto his arm. 

He was very animated and enthusiastic as he explained, moving his hand around and about, illustrating everything that he said. 

A small, plump woman in a green dress suddenly came up to The Doctor and showed him an object that looked like a small cardboard box. “I’m sure your partner would like this,” she said.  
“And what exactly is that?” The Doctor raised an eyebrow, not trusting this salesperson any more than the last one.

“It’s a box that will hold all your things safely. It’s bigger than it looks, especially on the inside.” The woman grinned. The Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, not impressed since he had the TARDIS, which was much bigger on the inside than a small box. 

“No, we’re good.” Rose said, smiling politely. The sales woman walked away and The Doctor looked at Rose incredulously. “What?” she asked, noticing the way that he was looking at her.

“No matter how long I’ve known you, I will never get over how domestic you are.” he shook his head. Rose laughed and pulled his hand. 

“So I am your ‘partner’?” she teased him, laughing.

The Doctor grinned. “I guess so,” He said. Rose smiled and walked with him. She missed times like this. No danger, no monsters, just her and The Doctor, having a good time together. 

“Where to now, banana boy?” She grinned at her new nickname for him. She thought that it was quite clever. 

“Back to the TARDIS?” he asked, looking at the blue box in the distance. Rose nodded, took a step forward, and disappeared. The Doctor panicked briefly, but the TARDIS told him that Rose was safe. He walked to the TARDIS, opened the door, and there she was, sitting on the jumpseat, smiling at him. 

“What took you so long?” she asked. She had to admit, it was a little fun to mess with him.

“Well, I can’t disappear from here to there like you can.” He grinned, and walked over to her. She grinned back at him. 

“I got you a gift,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his coat. 

“Really?” asked Rose, slightly flattered. “You didn’t have to.”

“I did anyways.” He handed her a silver chain with a silver rose pendant dangling from it. She necklace and admired it for a moment before exclaiming, “I love it! Thank you!” She hugged him, and he hugged back. Rose handed him the necklace, turned around, and pulled her hair to the side. 

“Can you..?” she asked hesitantly. Normally, things like this would make The Doctor uncomfortable, but this time, he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. He nodded, and hooked the necklace around her neck. 

Rose turned back around, smiling brightly. “Thank you, again.” she said. 

He smiled. “You’re welcome.” She looked at him for a second, and then twirled around the console room, like he sometimes did. The Doctor grinned, watching her. Her eyes were twinkling with delight, and she wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.

“Where to, now?” She smiled brightly. The Doctor began to babble about a planet called Deva Loka, which was like a tropical paradise, but he stopped babbling when he saw that Rose had stopped smiling. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

“I- I could..I saw her in my mind,” she said. “She showed me things, the TARDIS.” A confused look graced The Doctor’s features.

“But that’s impossible,” he said. “What did she show you?” he walked over to her. 

“She showed me you,” she explained. “I think it was just now. It was an image of you, but it was tinted...with a very light, subtle, pink.”

She kept her eyes on him, waiting for an explanation. For a second, he looked confused, but then his expression returned to normal, like a lightbulb lighting up above his head. 

“Ooh. Don’t worry about it,” he said, clearly hiding something. “Nothing bad!” he quickly walked to the console. 

Rose looked at him, confused. “What? You’re not going to tell me?” she followed him, and stood by his side. 

“Nope!” he answered.


	19. Always Wait Five Hours

“Nope!” he answered.

Rose sighed, slightly frustrated, but she dropped it, knowing that she wouldn’t get an answer out of him anyways. She walked around the console room, and suddenly, she received loads of knowledge about the jumping, similar to when the TARDIS would translate things for her. 

She stood there in complete awe for a moment, attempting to comprehend the extravagant amount of knowledge her mind now held. Without warning and without taking a single step forward, she disappeared.

The Doctor, after deciding where they would go today, had been flipping various levers and switches. He placed a thin hand on the lever that would set the TARDIS into flight and looked up with a grin, not knowing that Rose disappeared. 

“Ready, Ro-” he began, but quickly realized her absence. His grin quickly dissipated. “Rose!?” he asked in panic.

He searched around the TARDIS for what seemed like hours, finally deciding to sit down in the jump seat, feeling completely hopeless. Nevertheless, he rummaged the TARDIS database for information on her ‘jumping’, hoping to figure out a way to find her and maybe, just maybe, cease her tendency to spontaneously ‘jump’ to different times or dimensions.

About five hours later, Rose reappeared, a deeply saddened expression gracing her features. The Doctor looked up, seeing her reappear, and immediately got up, walking over to her. 

“Where have you been..?” he asked gingerly, not wanting to intrude. 

“Nowhere,” Rose said quietly. “Just some planet..it was weird.” She smiled softly. “I’m going to go to bed, yeah?” She went to her room, changed clothes, and laid down.

“Goodnight..” responded The Doctor, not believing her one bit. He went to his room, and sat down in the armchair by the bookcase. 

Rose couldn’t sleep, so she just laid there, staring into empty space. 

In another room, The Doctor was still sitting in the soft, fluffy, armchair, a rather dirty, arenaceous book in his hands. 

He looked at the door conjoining his and Rose’s room and noticed that it was suddenly wide open. Unable to contain his concern, he stood up and walked through the door into her room. He looked at her.

“Rose..?” he asked with caution. She looked over at him, wiping her eyes; she had been crying.

“Hmm?” she replied. The Doctor sat on the end of her bed, not taking his eyes off of her. “I know you didn’t just go to ‘some planet’, Rose,” he said gently. “What actually happened?”

“I can’t tell you.” said Rose.

“Why?” he inquired. 

“Because,” her voice cracked. “I just..I just can’t.”

“Was it that bad?” he wiped a tear from her face. She nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. 

“Can you lay with me?” she asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course.” he said, laying down next to her. She curled up against his side, holding his hand. He squeezed her hand gently in response.

Rose fell asleep a lot easier with him there by her side. The Doctor, on the other hand, didn’t sleep at all, still exceptionally concerned for Rose

 

It was well into the night when The Doctor was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Rose’s voice. 

“Doctor.. Don’t leave me. Y-You can’t. Please.” Rose’s voice broke as she spoke barely just above a whisper. The Doctor was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed that Rose wasn’t awake; her eyes were closed and she was splayed out on her side of the bed. Rose’s fingers were still intertwined with The Doctor’s though and the grip she had on his hand got tighter. 

“Please. You can’t die. You can’t… You… You have to… You have to…” Rose became restless. She twisted and turned. Her breathing increased, her chest lifting and falling rapidly. Tears started falling down her cheeks. 

The Doctor couldn’t stand seeing her cry so he put a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave her a shake. “Rose.” He spoke in a deeply concerned, and frankly scared, voice. “Rose. I’m alive. It’s just a dream. Wake up.”

_The world around Rose began to shake and she heard the voice of The Doctor faintly. She fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands. The gravel below her knees was cracked and the world became dull and bleak. Why does she need to be tortured? She lost The Doctor and she can still hear his voice. Will she have to live the rest of her life with the constant memory that she could do nothing to save him?_

Rose shot up suddenly. Her heart felt as if it was going to jump out of her chest any moment. As she looked frantically around she felt The Doctor’s warm hand in her own and she nearly bursted into tears. It was only a dream. 

The Doctor waited a moment, letting Rose calm herself. “Rose?” He asked softly. “What happened?”

“I… I think I… I just saw you die.” Rose stumbled over her words, not able to believe herself that she had actually dreamed that. 

“Die?” He asked, utterly confused. Rose just nodded and laid back down. The Doctor did as well and she buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m not going to die, Rose. I promise.” He kissed the top of her head. All Rose could do again was let out a choked sob and a nod. The Doctor rubbed her back, holding her close to him. “You can sleep now, Rose. I’m not going anywhere.”

Rose lifted her head and shook it. “I don’t want to sleep. I just want to talk to you.”

“Alright.” The Doctor nodded in agreement and kept his arms around Rose. 

“Can you tell me ‘bout the things you saw and the places you went while I was gone?” Rose asked, looking up at him with her deep brown eyes. 

The Doctor grimaced a little. The time right after he lost her weren’t a favorite of his to reflect upon, but he couldn’t resist those brown eyes. They got him every time. He sighed in resignation and nodded. “Alright. So… Remember when you appeared in the hospital where the rain was upside down?”

Rose smiled and nodded. She cuddled into his side like a little kid getting ready for story time. The Doctor proceeded to tell Rose about his adventures with Martha. Of course, he left out the part where he ‘kissed’ her. It was a genetic transfer, yes, but he wasn’t sure Rose would be happy about that either way he put it. 

“Martha seems nice.” Rose spoke when he was done. “She’s smart.”

“She is nice. I think you’d like her.” He replied before continuing with more stories of his time with Martha. 

Rose eventually fell asleep to his voice and The Doctor was soon to follow. They both fell asleep with a smile on their faces.


	20. Something Different

When Rose woke up she saw nothing but darkness. A smell consumed her. It was sweet and… banana-y? Rose lifted her head up, confused. She saw that her head was previously buried in the chest of The Doctor, her arm strung out across his abdomen. Her face reddened with embarrassment, but the steady rise and fall of his chest along with the peaceful look on his face told her that he was still asleep. As carefully as possible, she moved her arm and lifted her body up and off of his. When she was safely to her side of the bed she sat up and yawned.

The Doctor woke up seconds later. As he sat up Rose noticed his hair was in disarray, but it looked strangely well on him. “Good morning.” He said, smiling tiredly. Rose returned his smile with a small one of her own. She reached over and messed his hair up even more.

“Good morning!” Rose swung her legs over to the edge of the bed. The Doctor got up and walked over to her, just standing there. Rose stood up and lifted her head up to look at his face. “Mind giving me some privacy to get dressed?” She asked quietly.

“’Course!” The Doctor went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Rose got dressed as quickly as possible. As she was sleeping she had a dream that got her excited for the day. She’d been working with the TARDIS every chance she got and she had a bit of a better grip on her control. She’s dreamt that The Doctor and her were in trouble; they were about to be ‘upgraded’ by the big chunks of metal that are known as the Cybermen. In the dream Rose leaned over to take The Doctor’s hand and say her last goodbyes. She had been thinking of being back on the TARDIS with him, having a good time and a few seconds later, they were miraculously standing in the console room of the TARDIS. The Doctor had been so proud of her, smiling the biggest smile she’d ever seen and in all honesty, she wanted to see it again.

Without hesitation Rose ran out of her room and as she passed The Doctor in the hallway, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along. 

“Where are you taking me?” inquired The Doctor with a slightly raised eyebrow. 

“To the garden!” chimed Rose, smiling brightly. She entered the premises of the garden, bringing them both to a small patch of lush, green grass among all the different types of flowers. 

“How did you find this place..?” he asked. He had never taken her to this part of the TARDIS before. He could only assume that The TARDIS showed her.

“The TARDIS showed me,” Rose grinned, confirming The Doctor’s assumptions. The Doctor laughed. “Of course she did.”

“I’m going to try something, yeah?” she took both of his hands, closing her eyes. She imagined the library, shelves upon shelves filled with hundreds and hundreds of books, as far as the eye could see. She felt herself disappear for a second, but popping back to the garden in no time. 

“Hold on,” she murmured. “I can do this. I know I can.” she took a deep breath, and tried again. The Doctor felt a small breeze and a shift, but again, Rose disappeared on her own. She came back, a frustrated look on her face. 

“Bloody, this is harder than I thought.” she cursed. The Doctor looked at her. 

“Are you trying to jump and bring me with you?” he asked. Rose nodded, bit the tip of her tongue, and said, “I’m going to try again.”

The concentrated a little harder than last time, and finally, she got it. She opened her eyes and grinned triumphantly when the familiar smell of dust and paper hit her nose. She looked at The Doctor, and he smiled the biggest smile ever, identical to the one in her dreams.

“That was brilliant!” exclaimed The Doctor, still grinning a cheshire grin.

“I did it!” She beamed, attacking him in a hug. He hugged her back, and when she pulled away, he fought back the urge to kiss her. 

“To the console room?” he proposed, holding out his hand. 

She couldn’t help but smile. “To the console room!” she agreed, taking his hand and jumping, bringing him with her. 

When they arrived, The Doctor let go of Rose’s hand and went to sit on the jumpseat. He looked up at the display screen, and saw that someone had sent him a message. 

_Hello Doctor._  
The Ood need your help. Please come as soon as possible.  
Ood Sigma 

Rose looked at the screen from The Doctor’s side. 

“Looks like we’re going to visit The Ood.”


	21. A Message From the Ood

“Why?” asked Rose. “Last time, they tried to kill us.” 

“Not all Ood are like the ones you’ve seen,” The Doctor explained. “The white orb you’ve seen them talk through - they’re not born with it. They’re born holding their brains in their hands. These Ood that we are about to visit are natural Ood. They won’t hurt you.”

Rose nodded, however she was still unsure about all of this, considering what happened the last time she and The Doctor had seen the Ood. “Right then.” She said.

The Doctor nodded, and prepared the TARDIS for flight to Ood Sphere, calculating to make sure that they would end up in the right time. He pulled down the lever. Rose held onto a metal bar for support as The TARDIS flew them to another unknown planet - at least to her.

The Doctor stood up, putting on his coat. He looked at Rose. “Ready to go?”

“Definitely!” she said, and advanced forward, pushing open the doors of The TARDIS before The Doctor could warn her that it was freezing cold. She saw the snow, felt a rush of cold air, and shivered beneath her heavy jacket.

She walked forward, observing everything around her. The sky was swirling with clouds, and incredible mountains and cliffs seemed to tower over the land, the snow that coated them sparkled. The Doctor followed her out there, turning to face the Ood standing a few feet in front of them 

“Aaah! Ood Sigma!” he exclaimed jovially. “So, what did you call me here for? I only delayed my arrival slightly.”

“You should not have delayed.” said Ood sigma. He had a white sphere in his hand, and Rose got an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

“I thought you said we would see the natural Ood,” Rose whispered to The Doctor.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered back. “We will.” He looked over at Ood Sigma. 

“ The last time I was here, you said my song would be ending soon,” said The Doctor. “And I'm in no hurry for that.”

“You will come with me.” said Ood Sigma.

“Hold on, let me lock the TARDIS.” The Doctor pulled out an object from his pocket, that looked suspiciously like a keyfob for a car. He aimed it at The TARDIS, and a sound like a car locking could be heard. 

“See? I locked it like a car.” said The Doctor with a grin, clearly trying to make Ood Sigma laugh. He didn’t laugh, and remained silent, waiting for The Doctor.

“Like...it’s funny. No? Little bit?” he said. He whispered to Rose, “Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh.” 

She laughed softly, took The Doctor’s hand, and looked at him seriously. “What did you mean by your song was soon ending?” she asked, afraid of the answer.

“I’ll talk about it later.” The Doctor quickly dismissed the question. He followed Ood Sigma, Rose by his side. He looked at him.

“So how old are you now, Ood Sigma?” he asked politely, but then looked to see a city carved out of stone and ice. “Aah! Magnificent!” he exclaimed, and nudged Ood Sigma. “Oh, come on! That is...splendid! You’ve achieved all this in how long?”

“100 years,” answered Ood Sigma. 

“Then we've got a problem, ‘cos all of this is way too fast,” said The Doctor. “Not just the city, I mean your ability to call me. Reaching all the way back to the 21st century. Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal.”

“And the mind of the Ood is troubled.” Ood Sigma added.

“Why, what’s happened?” asked The Doctor. They had arrived in a temple, and other Ood sat in a circle, all focused on something very far away. 

“Every night, Doctor,” said Ood Sigma with a restlessness to his voice. “Every night, we have bad dreams.”

“Returning, returning, returning, it is slowly returning.” chanted another Ood, who appeared to be the leader. “Through the dark and the fire and the blood, always returning, returning to this world. It is returning and he is returning and they are returning, but too late, too late, far too late, he is come.”

“What’s returning?” Rose asked. “Doctor?”

“Sit with the Elder of the Ood and share the dreaming.” said Ood Sigma. 

“Er...right.” Said The Doctor, sitting down and joining the circle of Ood. “Hallo!” he greeted them.  
“The female can join as well.” said Ood Sigma. Hesitant at first, Rose sat down by The Doctor.

“You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join.” chanted The Elder Ood. All the Ood, Rose, and The Doctor joined hands, and they were shown a vision of a man laughing. 

Rose jumped slightly. She didn’t know who he was, but The Doctor appeared to, for he abruptly pulled his hands back, a terrified look on his face. 

“He comes to us, every night,” said The Elder Ood. “I think all the peoples of the universe dream of him now.”

“That man is dead.” The Doctor insisted. 

“There is yet more. Join us.” Everybody joined hands once more. “Events are taking shape, so many years ago, and yet changing the now. There is a man…” The Elder Ood trailed off, and again, the laughing man was shown. Then, Wilf, Donna’s father, was shown sitting in his kitchen, deeply worried. 

“So scared..” said The Elder Ood. Rose pulled back, and looked at The Doctor, extremely frightened and worried. 

“Wilfred!” exclaimed The Doctor. “Is he alright? What about Donna? Is she safe?”

“You should not have delayed, for the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth, even now,” said the Elder Ood. “The king is in his counting house.”

Rose joined hands with everyone once again, and a well-off black couple, most likely father and daughter. 

“I don’t know who they are,” stated The Doctor.

“And there is another. The most lonely of all, lost and forgotten.” A blonde woman in a cell, crying. 

“The Master’s wife,” clarified The Doctor.

“We see so much, but understand little,” said Ood Sigma. “The woman in the cage, who is she?”

“Who’s The Master?” asked Rose.   
“She was... It w-wasn't her fault, she was... The Master, he's a Time Lord, like me. I can show you.” Everybody joined hands once more. The Doctor showed everyone The Master when he was being Harold Saxon.

“The Master took the name of Saxon. He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her,” The Doctor explained. “She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth. I reversed everything he'd done, so it never even happened. But Lucy Saxon remembered.”

Lucy Saxon is shown, shooting The Master, killing him. 

“I held him in my arms. I burnt his body! The Master is dead!” insisted The Doctor.

“And yet, you did not see..” The Elder Ood said. The Doctor walking away from The Master’s funeral pyre is shown. 

“What’s that?” asked The Doctor.

A woman picks up The Master’s ring and carefully holds it in her hand, and a cackling laugh can be heard.

“Part of him survived.” The Doctor tried to stand up, panicked. “I have to go!” The Ood did not let him stand up. 

“But something more is happening, Doctor. The Master is part of a greater design, because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark.” The Elder Ood looked up, eyes blood red. “The Ood have gained this power to see through time because time is bleeding.”

All of The Ood around them had the same red eyes, instantly reminding Rose of the impossible planet that she and The Doctor had visited long ago. She pulled back her hands, breaking the circle.

“Doctor!” she exclaimed. 

“Rose, stay here!” he half-shouted. “We’ll be fine!”

“Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil. And these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future. And the present and the past.” said The Elder Ood, unblinking. 

“What do you mean?” asked The Doctor. 

“This is what we have seen, Doctor. The darkness heralds only one thing,” warned The Elder ood. “The End of Time itself.”  
The Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand, got up, and bolted towards the TARDIS; he knew whatever was coming would not end well. Rose, not knowing and not meaning to, suddenly vanished, transporting herself back to the alternate universe once again.


	22. The End of Time

Rose stumbled and tried to balance herself but it didn’t work. As soon as she felt the shift, tears started falling on her face. Her chest was heaving, half from exhaustion and half from the uncontrollable sobs. Her fists pounded on the hardwood floor beneath her. “No!” She yelled through a clenched jaw. This couldn’t happen! Not then! 

“Rose?” she heard the surprised voice of her mother from behind her. She couldn’t bring herself to stand up yet; the uncontrollable sobs still shook her, like an internal earthquake. Her mother knelt down and put an arm around her shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” said her Mother. Rose acknowledged her Mother’s consoling with a nod. She appreciated it, but nothing her Mother could say would make anything any better. 

Rose’s sobs eventually subsided to sniffs. She stood up, still upset, but filled with determination to get back to The Doctor no matter what. She had to. 

 

Rose was beginning to feel hopeless.

She had been trying to jump back to the alternate universe since she had landed there, but every time she tried, she failed miserably. She kicked the wall of the room she was in out of pure frustration. Why did this have to be so difficult?

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, concentrating on the TARDIS. She would get it right this time. She felt a shift in the air, and a small breeze. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was in an alleyway. 

She looked over and saw The Doctor, walking towards the TARDIS. But something was terribly wrong.

“Doctor!” she exclaimed. 

He looked over at her. “R-rose!” he said weakly, smiling. He looked like he was in excruciating pain; she saw straight past his facade. She ran over to him. 

“Doctor? Are you okay? What happened!?” she asked in a panic. Dread filled her stomach. 

“I-I’m fine. Listen. Listen. I'm going to fly the TARDIS up into the sky. Don't ask questions,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “But before I go, there's one last thing I'd like to say to you.”

“You don't.. You don't look fine,” she looked at him, swallowing the lump in her throat. “O-okay. Don’t leave me, please, just don’t leave me.” She hugged him tightly. “What is it?” she pulled back, looking into his eyes for what felt like the last time. 

The Doctor hugged her close, a tear streaming down his face. “I love you.”

He kissed her head, and then walked into the TARDIS, flying it up into the sky a safe distance away from the earth. He walked around the console room, remembering all of that he had done in this life.

He put his face in his hands for a moment, and then, right before it happened, he murmured, 

“I don’t want to go.”

Rose watched the TARDIS disappear, and buried her face in her hands, crying. She sat on the ground, with her knees tucked close to her chest.

“C-come back..” she sobbed.


End file.
